This past July our Worcester, UK office held its first Student Open Day. Three local schools were invited to send a mixed group of their brightest 14-15 year-old science students interested in a career in engineering or manufacturing.

After introductions and a safety briefing, students completed a factory tour which included viewing the Grosvenor Longwall Compatibility. It was clear that students were amazed at the scale and complexity of the world-class equipment we design and manufacture.

Following a brief pause for a lunch of pizza, when students met some of the Eurasia Directors, students learned more from local staff about their career paths which led them to our company.

The highlight of the day was a structural challenge in which school teams competed to design and build the most capable, unsupported bridge using the fewest materials to support a load in the center. The engineering team was on hand to give expert advice, hints and tips. The undisputed winners were students from Blessed Edward College (pictured) who built a bridge supporting 4.5kg of weight, only just failing at 5kg!

The day was well received by the local schools, one teacher from Christopher Whitehead Language College shared, “A very worthwhile day. I shall certainly refer to the work you do in some of my science lessons and would welcome staff into school to inform students of what you do. Your staff’s enthusiasm made it more interesting for us all and they were brilliant with the students.”

This event is just one example of the many ways we work to encourage students to pursue STEM careers across the globe. Helen Gibson, Training and Development Manager, Eurasia commented, “We intend to make this an annual event at Worcester and our other UK sites, to encourage greater interaction with our local communities and to inspire young, talented people to pursue engineering or manufacturing as a career. We challenged the schools to send a 50/50 mix of boys and girls to encourage greater gender diversity in an area which is typically under-represented by females. This was a well organised event and also an opportunity to involve our employees in something different for the day.”