Festival of Industries at Bournemouth University
By Charlie Forshaw, SUN Project Leader
On the 29th of April we hosted the Festival of Industries at Bournemouth University in partnership with Dorset Careers Hub. We were delighted to be joined by Tilbury Douglas and ASMPT who hosted interactive workshops for students from Purbeck School and Magna Academy. Our Festival of Industries events are all about gaining hands on experience with local employers and support the development of key transferable skills, helping schools to achieve their Gatsby Benchmark targets. Students also had campus-tours of Bournemouth University with student ambassadors, getting the opportunity to ask questions about HE pathways and explore the facilities a university has to offer.
Tilbury Douglas Workshop
We were delighted to be joined by staff from Tilbury Douglas, including Phoebe Gail, Adam Bashford and apprentices Chloe Groves and Isabel Crossen-White. As well as their special guest Douglas the robotic colleague.
Douglas is a robot that will soon be used to complete tasks on real building sites. Students found out more about how Douglas will impact the work that the company does and had an introduction to career pathways into the company as well as key labour market and sector information.
Students had the opportunity to build and code their own construction robots with the help of Getech Spike Prime kits, coding moving robots and mechanical arms. Working in teams, students worked together to build their robot and got feedback from the team leading the workshop.
It was great to see so many students ask the team questions about their industry and students reported they found the session both useful and enjoyable.
ASMPT Workshop
Colleagues from ASMPT, led by Dave Ody, hosted a three-part workshop with students that developed their team working, communication and listening skills. As well as introducing the manufacturing and engineering pathways available to students in education and through their company. Students also heard from university students that were taking part in placement years at ASMPT. This was fantastic for the student to hear from both apprentices and university students at the event to hear the various pathways into these sectors.
Students rotated around three activities in the workshop, including a simulated factory floor, where they worked together to follow the construction instructions for their LEGO build. As well as gaining hands on experience with CAD, a key design tool for the manufacturing and engineering sector. It was great to see students engage in a variety of activities and learn from industry professionals.
We had such a fantastic time hosting both students and employers at the event, these events are a fantastic opportunity for young people to find out more about career destinations in their area and develop essential transferable skills. Here’s what students had to say about the event:
97% of students found the event both enjoyable and useful
88% students felt their teamworking skills had increased
94% of students felt their problem-solving skills had increased
I loved Douglas, I liked building things and seeing the Bournemouth University
Student
It showed different opportunities I did not know about
Student
It had a lot of opportunities and taught me a lot
Student
Charlie Forshaw
SUN Project Leader
