The engineering taster day was the latest in a series of ‘Girls into’ events organised by the College as part of its award-winning ‘This Ayrshire Girl Can’ campaign. Similar college events have taken place in the past year to promote construction, civil engineering, technology, and other STEM career choices.
‘Girls into Engineering’ took place on Wednesday, June 12 and was delivered in partnership with SmartSTEMs, a Scottish charitable organisation which seeks to encourage more diversity in STEM, and supported by SmartSTEMs’ headline sponsor EDF Energy.
Female pupils from Ardrossan Academy, Auchinleck Academy, Ayr Academy, Belmont Academy, Cumnock Academy, Garnock Community Campus, Girvan Academy, Grange Academy, Greenwood Academy, Kilmarnock Academy, Kilwinning Academy, Loudoun Academy, Sanquhar Academy and Stewarton Academy took part in the session.
Opening the event, guest speakers from GE Caledonian – engineer Sophie Phillips, environmental site specialist Nicola Erskine and lean lead manufacturing specialist Laura McEwen – spoke to the pupils about what motivated them to enter the engineering industry.
The pupils then broke off into groups to enjoy three workshops each, delivered by Ayrshire College and partners Curious Chip, Glasgow Science Centre, JP Morgan, Morgan Sindall, and the RAF.
Pupils could also approach exhibitor stands throughout the day to find out more about engineering options from Chevron, Curious Chip, EDF Energy, EGGER, GE Caledonian, Glasgow Science Centre, JP Morgan, the RAF, Utopia and Woodward.
Alastair Heron, head of engineering at Ayrshire College, said: “It has been fantastic to see so many female pupils fully engage in today’s STEM activities. As a college with great cross-campus facilities, we are well-placed to support young pupils as they follow a career in engineering.
“First though, we need to inspire them. We need to let them know about the exciting future that the engineering sector has, particularly in Ayrshire with the upcoming Ayrshire Growth Deal investment. Events like this one are the perfect opportunity for us to showcase the industry to people who may not have considered it before.”
EDF Energy, which operates Hunterston B power station in West Kilbride, is the headline sponsor of SmartSTEMs, and with their support SmartSTEMs will reach more than 2,500 girls across Scotland this year.
Stuart Macdonald of SmartSTEMs said “We are delighted to pull together many wonderful industry partners and scores of generous volunteers to deliver this great event for these girls. Proud to be playing our part in making Scotland a great place to discover and pursue STEM careers.”
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