Andy Carter sparks interest in leaders of the future

We always love hearing about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) visits taking place across the Group. STEM visits boost our engagement with young people and enable us to gain a better understanding of education, as well as encouraging young people to consider a career with us.

Andy Carter, Business Services Director for the Water Division recently completed a STEM visit and told us about his experience:

Where did you go for your STEM visit, Andy?

I attended Markyate Village School, near St. Albans in Hertfordshire.

What activities did you do on your visit?

I ran two ‘Go Construct’ K’nex Challenge sessions with 80 year five and six pupils in the school hall. The ‘Go Construct’ K’nex Challenge is a competition running across 150 schools in Hertfordshire, Luton and Suffolk which aims to inspire the engineers of the future.

The challenge involved the students getting into pairs to design and build a model of a crane or similar lifting device using the K’nex kits provided. The children had only 60 minutes to build their model, which they then presented and discussed with the rest of the class. The pupils’ models were then judged based on operation, function and design.

Did the winners receive an award?

The winning pair received a medal and a certificate and have been taken forward to be judged against all the other schools’ winning models.

What were the main topics discussed?

I gave a short presentation and discussion about different types of engineers, showcasing various career opportunities for them to think about in the future.

How did the children respond to the tasks?

The children came up with some clever and interesting designs. As soon as the building phase started, the energy levels in the room ramped up and enthusiastic construction commenced! The winning models showed ingenuity, elegant design and intelligent use of the K’nex components.

All the children enjoyed the sessions as they were very different from their normal lessons. It was great to see them working collaboratively and with pace in response to the challenge.

Would you recommend becoming a STEM Ambassador to others?

STEM visits present an enjoyable and rewarding opportunity for our people and are great for raising industry awareness. The visits allow you to share your knowledge and enthusiasm for our industry with the next generation of engineers.

If you would like to become a STEM Ambassador, there are many similar opportunities to get involved in on the STEM website (www.stem.org.uk).

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