14 January will see the first of Engine Shed’s Tech Tours, in partnership with BJSS and Ultraleap and SETsquared Bristol. They will cover activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEM/STEAM). The aim is to inspire young people from years 5 to 8 (ages 9 to 13) in the region into jobs in this area as being accessible to them, and to raise their awareness of the concentration of jobs available in this sector that they might not be aware of.
The tours are free for schools and will take place monthly for a class of children – 30 approximately per visit – from January until November 2020 (excluding August and September), including free transport to and from school in the West of England region.
Each tour will include a workshop from SETsquared Bristol, a coding workshop from BJSS and Ultraleap, as well as getting to see inside one of Brunel’s buildings not usually open to the public, the original railway station opened in 1841.
Lorraine Fairbanks, Partnerships Manager from Engine Shed said: ”We are so pleased to be able to offer these new tours with some fantastic partners. We aim to give young people inspiration that there are exciting tech and creative jobs in the region and to show them how to access free resources to continue their journey into these sectors.”
Konrad Empacher, BJSS Head of Delivery said: “We want a balanced tech sector filled with opportunities. We are doing our part by inspiring young people to participate in our industry. By partnering with Engine Shed for Tech Tours, we will inspire even more young people to learn more about technology, and ensure that they are not excluded from the digital future.”
Tom Carter, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Ultraleap added: “As a company that was born out of the University of Bristol, with firm roots in the area, we’re proud to support initiatives that help raise awareness of the opportunities tech can provide for all young people. We hope to give their learnings real world connections and demonstrate the positive impact they can have on the future of the world, so it becomes more likely that they will develop a passion for STEM and pursue it as a career.”
It follows on from the success of the STEM tours that Engine Shed worked on in partnership with Unit DX which ceased earlier this year due to the successful filling up of the science incubator in St Phillips.
To enquire about availability for the tours, contact schools@engine-shed.co.uk or call 0117 915 1271 Monday to Wednesday.
You can find out about all our activities that work towards creating a diverse workforce for the future here.