A record 1200 pupils from six local schools visited a Gatwick Airport Roadshow at Hailsham College yesterday – in a programme designed to encourage children to pursue STEM related careers.
The pupils had an eclectic choice of activities ranging from how to marshal a jumbo jet to testing their mental arithmetic by finding products sold at the airport adding up to £100. Other activities included talking to easyJet cabin crew and pilots to understand their jobs better and looking for hidden items in the x-ray images guided by the Gatwick security officers.
The aim of the roadshows is to give students across the region a more hands-on experience of STEM-related careers to encourage them to consider working in the industry. The roadshows also aim to highlight important jobs at the airport that may not immediately be known of by school children such as airfield engineers and external security staff.
The roadshows are part of Gatwick’s wider community engagement programme which is designed to have meaningful and lasting impacts in the local area. Having now been to Kent and East Sussex, the roadshows will continue in 2020 at Dorking in Surrey to ensure the whole region benefits from the scheme.
Gatwick also recently announced that it will partner with 15 primary schools and five local secondary schools near to Gatwick and – as part of their continued professional development – the teachers will be offered opportunities to learn new techniques that bring engineering-related projects to life in the classroom and in the school curriculum.
Paula Aldridge, Community Engagement Manager, Gatwick Airport said: “It was brilliant to see the students immerse themselves in all the activities. I genuinely think the pupils’ perception of STEM subjects and careers at the airport changed for the better.
“All the activities were engaging and fun and I want to thank all of Gatwick’s business partners for helping this event happen.
“I now look forward to replicating this success at Dorking in Surrey for the next roadshow in the programme.”
Natalie Chamberlain, Vice Principal, Hailsham Community College said: “As the leading secondary school for Careers in East Sussex, we were naturally delighted to be able to host this STEM event on behalf of Gatwick Airport. Raising student aspirations is a vital part of what we do at Hailsham Community College, and this event certainly helped to ensure that young people across the county were inspired and motivated to think about future careers and ambitions in STEM.”
Quelle: Gatwick Airport
