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Scheme will bring engineering info to 5,000 UK schools

28 February, 2013
Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens Industry UK

Siemens has joined forces with the Government to launch a scheme that will provide teachers, students and parents with information to encourage young people to engage with engineering- and manufacturing-related subjects. Called the Siemens Education Portal, it will be rolled out to 5,000 schools across the UK by 2014, with the target of reaching more than 1.95m pupils within the first year, and 4.5m by 2016.

The portal will host interactive education materials, including 3D games based on industrial projects and technologies. The aim is to communicate the opportunities open to young people working in industrial and manufacturing environments. Initially the portal will support the 11–14 age group, but there are plans to expand the age range over the next two years.

“The only way to change the perceptions of engineering and manufacturing is to target children as young as nine – and really explain how exciting working in this field is,” says Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens Industry (above).

“The portal is a unique and new way of reaching young people interested in working in engineering,” he adds. “We are passionate about showing aspiring students – girls as well as boys – that working in areas such as high-value manufacturing can really lead to a solid and long-term career.

“If we are to rebalance the economy, we need to be developing the skills now to fill the jobs of the future,” says Maier. “We know that sustained public and private investment in this area is essential if we are to win the global skills race and create sustainable growth.”

“Siemens are to be congratulated on this innovative new programme to get more young people into engineering,” comments Matthew Hancock, Minister for Skills. “Engineers have highly adaptive skills which are valuable across our whole economy and our future competitiveness in the global race will depend on attracting the brightest and best talent into this rewarding career.”




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