Institution news
Since September, BBC Bitesize have travelled to secondary schools across the country bringing in inspiring industry representatives to speak to pupils about their education and career journey. Engaging around 120-200,000 school pupils, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers jumped at the opportunity to raise the profile of our members and the engineering profession, so we reached out to our members to get them to take part!
On Tuesday 16 January 2024, we attended St Marys Church of England High School in Hertfordshire to support IMechE Member Chelsea Williams as she took part in the event as a panellist. Chelsea, who is a Graduate Mechanical Engineer at Deerns UK and personal trainer, spoke to a total of 674 pupils from Year 10 - Year 7, about where her passion for engineering stemmed from and how she got into the industry. Chelsea had always been a curious and inquisitive child, pulling apart her toys to figure out how they worked and putting them back together, so it was clear from a young age that mechanical engineering, where you “find solutions and fix problems”, was the perfect path for her.
Alongside Chelsea on the panel, we heard from Lily-May Symonds, Social Media Journalist at the BBC and Tyler Terry-Wallace, Simulation Technician at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital. Each panellist spoke about their education journey, and the soft skills that are essential for any job. The skills you learn from either University or through an Apprenticeship, such as teamwork and creativity, are crucial in setting you up to succeed in your career; businesses in the UK says that these skills are just as important as your academic achievements. It was also highlighted that not all educational journeys are the same, there are different paths you can take. Chelsea, although going down the University route herself, expressed that there is a demand for engineering apprentices; “some people think engineering might not be accessible for them, but that isn’t the case, you don’t have to go down the degree route, there’s also the opportunity for you to take a mechanical engineering apprenticeship.”
Jelena Gacesa, Education Outreach and Safeguarding Lead at IMechE says,
“The BBC Schools Tour has provided an excellent opportunity for the IMechE to showcase the incredible work of our members to thousands of young people across the country. Involvement in the BBC School’s Tour has enabled us to reach more young people from diverse backgrounds and inform and inspire them about the exciting career opportunities available across engineering. The IMechE education outreach programme continues to grow, as does our combined impact!”
One of the highlights of the sessions was Chelsea’s passion for championing women and people of colour to consider a career in engineering. She continues to advocate for diversity and inclusion in the industry by using her platform. At the Institution, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all our members and employees know they belong, feel valued and can thrive. Find out more about how we strive to be visibly more inclusive here.
To get involved, register as an IMechE STEM Ambassador.