Our work with My Future My Choice offers Year 5 and 6 pupils across Bristol the opportunity to build model ships while working with business volunteers to explore their future.
This is part of our Diverse Workforce for The Future programme, and My Future My Choice has been a long-standing partner. Together with our other primary partner, IntoUniversity, we hosted some 3,000 students between 2014-19.
Each workshop explores the potential jobs that will be available in the future, how exports from Bristol have changed, and how the Enterprise Zone generates jobs and incomes. ‘Learning Ships’ alerts children, before they start secondary school, to the skills and attitudes they may need in the future to help ensure that they are successful and happy.
Bristol has the highest tidal reach of any city in the world and a rich tradition of ship building and shipping. Learning Ships offers exciting, practical ways of engaging students and their families with their region’s maritime heritage and cultural landscape.
Through the Young Shipwrights programme young people visit exciting locations by boat, which include Engine Shed and Underfall Yard, and work in teams of four alongside a business volunteer to build working models of historic boats. The programme is also designed to inspire students to think about their own careers and future paths.
Pupils get the chance to sail their cardboard ships in the annual Bristol Harbour Festival with the winning ship – the one that stays afloat the longest – winning £100 for their school.
We promote this to our businesses as an opportunity to volunteer with young people and see it as a valuable opportunity to explore Brunel’s heritage in the building here, whilst looking at ways of unearthing and recognising young people’s talents and skills that will be of benefit in their future careers.
We run around 10 of these visits a year during the Summer with around 300 pupils per year visiting us.
If you would like to find out more or want to book this activity for your school please contact T: 0117 329 0387 E: info@myfuturemychoice.co.uk