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Vertikal Days - Lifting Aspirations by Accessing Engineering

Added 29th June 2013

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invited My Future My Choice to join their international trade fair

    

A perfect learning environment for explaining engineering principles and inspiring young people to see engineering and the lifting and accessing industry sector as a future opportunity.

MFMC mission is to it can make a difference to the life chances for young people that will directly benefit industry sectors.

MFMC provide activities that bring schools, young people and the engineering industry together with a view to meeting needs that have been identified by Government and industry research-

  • Biggest influence on a young persons life chances are loose ties to people and opportunity

  • Aspirations are set by the age of 14 and motivating a young person after this age to be more confident or aspirational is generally more costly and has little impact

  • Businesses report an increasing need to provide basic training and knowledge based learning for the young people they recruit

MFMC research at Vertikal Days conducted through conversations suggested that -

  • This industry sector found it was difficult to recruit young talented employees. This covered a wide spectrum of roles from operators to engineers and designers

  • Schools failed to deliver relevant practical experiences or set learning in context

  • Teachers appeared to lack confidence, skills or time with engineering activity

  • IT in school's lacked any real context but that young people have incredible potential in this area for the industry

  • Young people could benefit from engaging with this industries plant, equipment and staff and were willing to be involved in further conversations and listen to requests to provide volunteers, equipment and funding for activities with schools across the UK

MFMC Crane resources (developed by Glyn Griffiths from Bath University and Phil Rowles from UTC Aerospace Systems)  demonstrate principles of pneumatics, hydraulics, gears and pullies. All MFMC activities require young people to understand the scientific principles and a variety of contexts for their use. This is most successfully achieved by meeting people who volunteer time from their day job. All workshops culminate in a team challenge to build and operate a crane. See Schools activity in Bath see Primary and Secondary School Workshop Flyer  

MFMC Crane Challenge at Vertikal Days 

V&M from Germany took an early lead with the team challenge on day at VertiKal days

Despite valiant attempts by the Portuguese who could have done with another team member perhaps

Team Snorkel attempted to knock the Germans off the top of the leader board

At the end of Day One the Germans looked unassailable at the top of the board 

 

Younger teams appeared on day two (due to a teachers strike)

Teams mixed the generations

Parents led the learning

 

By the end of Day Two Snorkel had re-emerged as  Snorkel Elite and with some steely focus re-shaped the top of the leader board

Thanks to Leigh and Pam and the team from Vertikal Networks and to all the businesses we met that welcomed the potential to help shape the future for young people. 

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