BRENTWOOD, Essex, 04 July, 2018 – The Primary Engineer programme for 2017/18, which aims to encourage primary-school-age children into engineering careers, culminated with a celebration event at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre. Around 120 students from 20 local schools took part in a day of competition to showcase the electric vehicle projects they had worked on for the previous eight months of the academic year.

Primary Engineer, a non-profit organisation, run a variety of engineering-based courses to make engineering fun and exciting, helping to inspire the next generation of engineers. Starting with a teacher-training day in October 2017, Primary Engineer linked Ford engineers with local schools to boost awareness of STEM related professions and support teachers and students in the practical aspects of the course.

“It is well recognised that introducing engineering principles to primary aged children can make a real difference in how they view the industry,” said Sarah Haslam, Product Vehicle Team (PVT) Manager, Ford of Europe. “The Primary Engineer programme leaves students with a positive impression of engineering as a creative and fun industry. This can only be a net benefit for the future.”

Ford Motor Company Fund, a non-profit organisation and the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, supported Primary Engineer with a £15,000 grant to execute this programme. Ford Fund invests in innovative programmes focused on Education, Sustainable Communities and Safe, Smart Mobility. Ford has renewed this partnership for the 2018/19 academic year.

“The support offered by Ford allowed us to bring Primary Engineer programmes to schools across Essex, culminating in this fantastic celebration event,” said Dr Susan Scurlock, CEO and Founder, Primary Engineer. “The pupils have acquired a range of skills and shown a flair for engineering, and with our continued partnership with Ford we look forward to inspiring the next generation of engineers.”

Ford and Primary Engineer are both active partners of the Year of Engineering, a government campaign aimed at reducing the skills gap within the engineering industry. Government envoy to the campaign, Stephen Metcalfe MP, attended the event and gave a speech to the young students about the important role engineering plays in the UK economy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeJel6084so&feature=youtu.be

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Sarah Haslam, Product Vehicle Team (PVT) Manager, Ford of Europe said: “Ford is excited to have worked with Primary Engineer to inspire the next generation of engineers. It is well recognised that introducing engineering principles to primary aged children can make a real difference in how they view the industry. The Primary Engineer programme will leave students with a positive impression of engineering as a creative and fun industry. This can only be a net benefit for the future.”

FordMotor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, teamed up with Primary Engineer, a not for profit organisation which has national programmes that provide the mechanism for teachers to embed engineering into their curriculum teaching. Primary Engineer works with schools and professional engineers around the country to give pupils the opportunity to work on engineering programmes together to help them to gain a new perspective on careers in engineering – highlighting just how important engineering is to the world in which we all live.

Dr. Susan Scurlock, CEO and founder of Primary Engineer said: “The support offered by Ford UK and the Ford Fund allowed us to bring Primary Engineer programmes to schools across Essex, culminating in this fantastic celebration event. In this academic year we’ve engaged with over 1000 pupils over the county. The pupils have acquired skills and have shown a flair for engineering and with our continued partnership with Ford we look forward to inspiring the next generation of engineers.”.

Primary Engineer is a not for profit organisation founded in 2005 and is directly responsible for engaging 44,000 children, 2222 teachers and 829 engineers with their range of programmes in 2017 that enable STEM by stealth learning for children.

Ford Motor Company Fund is the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company. Established in 1949, Ford Fund invests in transformational programs that advance innovation, empower people, promote social mobility and improve community prosperity. Ford Fund works with local and global partners to create opportunities in education, encourage safe driving, enlist employee volunteers and enrich community life. For more information, visit http://community.ford.com, or join us on Facebook @FordFund and Twitter @FordFund

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