Isle of Man schools inspired by engineering!
The ACE Committee (Awareness of Careers in Engineering), comprising of engineering companies on the Isle of Man, is dedicated to promoting STEM skills on the island. ACE funding goes towards programmes in education on the island that is centred around primary, secondary and college education within STEM subjects.
ACE and Primary Engineer have partnered together since 2021, bringing together industry and education through the Primary Engineer Construction Programme and the Leaders Award competition.
About Leaders Award Competition
The Leaders Award competition asks pupils aged 3-19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. All entrants were given the chance to interview an engineer afterwards they are inspired to follow their lead by identifying a problem in the world to come up with a creative solution to that problem. This annual competition saw over 71,000 pupils taking part across the UK. Entries were then graded by local industry professionals before a panel of judges picked two winners and two highly commended for each year group. The cumulation of this competition took place on 9th July at UCM (University College Isle of Man) to celebrate the engineering achievements from pupils across the Isle of Man.
About The Primary Engineer Construction Programme
The Primary Engineer Construction Programme is a cross-curricular programme which allows pupils to build and test their own construction models while getting to interact with engineering professionals in class. The cohort of schools attended a joint school celebration event held on 10th July at UCM to celebrate.
Through these engineering educational activities, teachers are able to confidently embed engineering in their curriculum and, crucially, bring a real-world context into the classroom for pupils through direct engagement with ACE, helping to reduce the gap in skills for this area of the economy.
The impact in the Isle of Man?
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the enthusiasm and creativity that students from the Isle of Man bring to these engineering projects. The partnership with ACE has been instrumental in providing these young minds with the tools and opportunities they need to explore the world of engineering. By engaging with real-world challenges and working alongside industry professionals, students are not only gaining valuable skills but are also getting a taste of what a future career in engineering could look like. This is crucial for addressing the current skills shortage on the island. By inspiring the next generation of engineers, we are helping to ensure a robust and skilled workforce for the future. We are committed to continuing our efforts to bridge the gap between education and industry, and to support these bright young innovators as they embark on their engineering journeys.”
Natasha Kinnear, Head of Partnerships for North West England at Primary Engineer
“These programs spark a level of enthusiasm from the students which is infectious. To have conversations about their build or competition entry and hear the thinking behind them is nothing short of inspiring. Students often remark “but this couldn’t be done” and I like to remind them that our great grandparents would never have believed you would have a telephone you could carry around, charge wirelessly and do your banking on, so anything is possible, it just hasn’t been engineered yet! Our partnership with Primary Engineer has been instrumental in helping ACE bridge that gap between industry and education and we are thrilled to see it succeed.”
Melanie Beattie, Chair of the ACE Committee
Get involved! If you’re a school, check out how we can help you bring STEM into your classroom with our programmes and competitions. Or contact us to become a support of Primary Engineer.