PPMA BEST (Business Education, Skills and Training), an independent charitable trust set up to encourage young people to discover the opportunities for a career in the engineering industries, has partnered with the Museum of Science and Industry, in Manchester, to host an interactive STEM day on Monday, 13 November.
Following the workshop, students will be invited to explore the museum’s Robots exhibition and discover recent developments in robotic research. The exhibition includes a unique collection of over 100 robots, from a 17th century dancing wine goblet and animatronic baby to Maria from the 1927 film classic Metropolis and a news-reading android from Japan.
Speaking about the event, Laura Pickering, education and development coordinator, Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), said: “The MTA strongly believes in inspiring the next generation of engineers, and is proud to be collaborating with BARA and PPMA BEST on this STEM day. We are also committed to closing engineering’s gender gap, so we welcome the fact that the young people taking part in this event will be an equal mix of boys and girls.”
STEM days are widely acknowledged to support the aim of the National Curriculum and schools agenda by linking the curriculum to the wider world and demonstrating the direct relevance of subjects taught in school with the world of work.
Danny Reed of PPMA BEST added: “Partnering with the Museum of Science and Industry presents a unique opportunity for PPMA BEST to work directly with Manchester schools to encourage their students to explore a career in the automation industries. The day is designed to inform students about the future career and education opportunities, while encouraging creative thinking and enterprise skills. The day will also challenge students to exercise their time-management, teamwork and problem-solving abilities. We’re excited to welcome students to the museum to hear from working engineers within the industry and discover a whole host of exciting career opportunities.”
PPMA BEST, established in 2014 by the PPMA Group of Associations, aims to encourage young people to enter and develop within the processing, packaging, automation and vision engineering industries. It offers a series of programmes including financial grants for engineering apprenticeships, match funded bursaries for engineering undergraduates and STEM days for secondary schools.
By addressing the on-going skills shortage and tackling short and longer-term recruitment needs, the charity aims to help the industry and its 500-member companies by growing the pool of next generation engineers through education and training.
The event is also supported by KUKA Robotics, Industrial Cadets, Siemens and Renishaw PLC, with further participating companies to be confirmed.
