Educational Not-for-Profit launches report showcasing the impact of Engineering Outreach with expert panel at The University of Edinburgh.
Leaders from industry, education and government came together for a panel to discuss the findings of a report from Primary Engineer and explore strategies for cultivating a vibrant skills landscape within the Scottish rail sector.
The report, titled “Keeping Kids on Track: Evaluating 5 Years of the Primary Engineer Rail Programme” sheds light on the significant positive impact the programme has had on primary school pupils across the UK. It has been running in Scotland, England & Wales and Primary Engineer are hosting three launches to address the specific needs of each education system.
For five years, the Primary Engineer Rail Programme has brought practical Rail Engineering into classrooms and helped inspire the next generation of engineers. Launched in 2018 with Hitachi Rail, the programme embeds engineering at the heart of learning as young pupils collaborate to design, build, and refine rail vehicle models. Over the course of five years the Primary Engineer Rail Programme has provided Rail Engineering learning opportunities for over 40,000 pupils.
The programme culminates in a Celebration Event where pupils test and challenge their designs and share what they have learned with engineering professionals. The report was launched with Scottish Engineering and The University of Edinburgh School of Engineering, who partner with Primary Engineer in Edinburgh. Panelists were able to see the impact of the Primary Engineer Rail Programme first hand, and the excitement this inspires amongst the pupils and teachers who take part.
Professor Gareth Harrison, Head of the School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh said:
“We were delighted to host this joint event with Primary Engineer and Scottish Engineering to discuss how we can shape the future of Scotland’s rail industry together. Having been proud partners of Primary Engineer for many years, we have seen the positive impact the Rail Programme has on local primary school pupils and the important role it plays in inspiring them about career opportunities in the sector.
Today also marked this year’s Rail Programme celebration event which brought the pupils, teachers and engineers back together on campus to showcase and test out their model train creations. It was fantastic to see how this initiative ignites a passion for engineering in young minds.”
Dr Susan Scurlock MBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Primary Engineer, was also on the panel. Commenting on launching the report in Scotland she said:
“The findings of the report overwhelmingly support that the Primary Engineer Rail Programme is successful in its objectives and shows that our approach has inspired young people to think differently about engineering – it has also helped them realise that anyone can be an engineer and sparked an interest in Rail Engineering.
It was amazing to be hosting this with The University of Edinburgh School of Engineering, they have been working with us for the best part of a decade and have been a core part of our success in Scotland. Huge thanks to our panelists Louise Shaw, Gordon Masterton, Lydia Fairman and our chair Paul Sheerin for sharing their expertise.”
Alongside the key findings of the report are next steps Primary Engineer are taking to ensure the programme continually improves and reaches more pupils, not only in Scotland, but across all devolved nations. The launch of the report in England will be hosted at Rail Live with Porterbrook on June 19th and 20th where school pupils will show off their engineering skills at the centre stage.
The programme continues to be available across England, Scotland and Wales thanks to the many partners who fund the programme, with over 300 schools and 14,500 pupils expected to take part in the 2023/2024 academic year.
The report is available from the Primary Engineer website: https://www.primaryengineer.com/keeping-kids-on-track.
