News Article
Integrating girls into test engineering
Over 70 female students between the ages of 12 and 14 from six South Yorkshire secondary schools took part in a design and technology challenge that gave them an insight into the huge career opportunities in engineering.
Over 70 female students between the ages of 12 and 14 from six South Yorkshire secondary schools took part in a design and technology challenge that gave them an insight into the huge career opportunities in engineering. The MasMicro ‘Engineering for Girls' day was organised by Sheffield Hallam University in association with NAMTEC (National Metals Technology Centre). Students were specially selected who had shown an interest in science and engineering subjects. The challenge they were set was to design and produce a bubble blower, which the pupils manufactured on the day from Perspex. This involved practical engineering techniques, such as soldering, shaping and moulding the product as well as testing their IT, design and marketing skills. Helen King, NAMTEC's Project Manager explains: "The whole idea behind the event was to get girls thinking about careers in engineering and to show the huge opportunities that lie in this area. There are still far too few females entering the industry and events such as this one should help re-address the balance and inspire young women about what they could achieve."Helen King continues: "Engineering roles today are much more than working in a dirty factory. There are a diverse range of design and technology-related careers to choose from within local, national and international companies, which are suffering from a severe skills shortage and a lack of new entrants. We had some fantastic feedback from the students and their teachers about the event, with a number of these pupils now considering taking design and technology-related subjects through to GCSE level."
