Crawley pupils work on flight sims and leaping robots

The scheme saw students from Ifield Community College working with engineers from Gatwick Airport, while students from Oriel High School, Crawley, worked with L3 Commercial Training Solutions and Schneider.

EES enables Year 12 students to learn practical workplace skills during a six-month project with local businesses.

Co-ordinated by University of Brighton outreach department STEM Sussex, the scheme pairs teams of up to six Year 12 students and their teacher with a local engineering professional.

Together, they work on a real industrial problem to which the company needs a solution.

The scheme includes a two-day residential workshop at the University of Brighton.

Held at the end of December last year, participating students were able to get stuck into their projects and get a taste of university life by being given access to the facilities at the University of Brighton.

Students will work on their projects at school, supported by company representatives and teachers, until a celebration and assessment day in April.

A statement from the organiser said: “Valuable project management, report writing, communication and teamwork skills are all part of this impactful scheme that inspires the next generation of engineers.

“Those taking part are finding the experience really rewarding.

“With 2018 marking the launch of the Government’s national ‘Year of Engineering’, we look forward to seeing the fruition of all the hard work at the celebration and Assessment day in April.”