Macclesfield News - written by local people

Parkroyal Community Primary School are celebrating after being selected to join the ‘Engineering – Girls Can Do It Too’ project run by Macclesfield College.

Two of the budding engineers from Parkroyal Community School

To mark their involvement in the project, which aims to introduce girls and their parents to careers in the modern engineering industry, ten Year 6 girls visited the College’s European Centre for Aerospace Training (ECAT) accompanied by Head Teacher Caron Corden and teacher Caroline Beaumont.   

During the visit Kay Lees, Programme Manager, explained what the project has in store for them over the next year, including the launch event where they will build aircraft and have a flying competition, programming robots in the North West ‘Lego League Challenge’ and trips to engineering companies where they will see first-hand how clean and exciting engineering can be.

The new Engineering girls with (clockwise from left): Kay Lees, Caroline Beaumont, Christine Edmunds and Caron Corden

The day was also a hands-on introduction to engineering as the girls learnt about aircraft engines and studied the aerodynamics of flight using a model wing. The girls especially enjoyed climbing aboard the College’s Jetstream 31 commercial aircraft, which is housed in a purpose built hangar in the ECAT building. The girls even took turns to sit in the cockpit of the aircraft where they saw the technical element of flying an aircraft.  

Christine Edmunds, Area Manager for Aimhigher Cheshire & Warrington, who supports and part-funds the project, joined the girls on their visit and commented: ‘It is excellent that the scope of the project can be broadened to involve Parkroyal, and I am sure that the girls selected to be part of the project will benefit hugely from the impressive programme of events that have been planned for them.’

The Parkroyal girls explore the aircraft

For more information on the types of activities the girls will be involved in see www.macclesfield.ac.uk