13.12.2007
Not enough young people are choosing careers in engineering and the UK faces a shortage of new talent entering the industry. However from 17-19 December at the university 10 teams of sixth form students from schools all around the south-east are helping to redress that balance.
Around 90 students, aged 16-17, have voluntarily signed up for the Engineering Education Scheme, which is run as part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's BEST programme (Better Engineering Students Tomorrow).
These students will be spending three days attending a residential workshop at the university and will be learning practical aspects of engineering from the university's technicians and their project mentors.
Each team of four students is working on a different project and these projects have been set by mentors from a variety of engineering firms in the south-east. The projects require the students to find mechanical, electrical, and computer-based engineering solutions and this year include such diverse topics as generating renewable energy for schools, synchronizing time using GPS and building a non permanent bike shed for the Olympics 2012.
This is the third year the event has been held at university and the residential workshop will take place in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at university. The Engineering Education Scheme is a registered charity go to www.engineering-education.org.uk for information.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
