The British Engines Group has collaborated with Royal Grammar School, Newcastle (RGS) to sponsor a Robotics Teacher to work across schools in disadvantaged areas of the North East.
The Robotics Partnerships Teacher, who splits his time between teaching students at the RGS and its partner state schools, hopes to inspire the next generation of game changers within engineering.
As a proud local employer, the scheme allows the British Engines Group to support future engineering talent by developing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education for young people.
As part of the initiative, Robotics Teacher, Dr Steve Bunce, supports state school teachers by sharing STEM expertise and resources whilst teaching engineering, design and technology at National Independent School of the Year 2023 winner, RGS. The school received particular recognition at the awards for their outstanding educational partnerships.
Activity days introducing the students to the importance of STEM for sustainability, along with VEX Robotics and Lego competitions are held to provide a way for students to learn in a fun environment.
Dr Bunce said: “I believe it is part of our educational role to share the possibilities within STEM, including how integral it is to today’s way of working across many industries.”
To boost the breadth of experiences available through the scheme, the British Engines Group’s apprenticeship training provider, TDR, offers students use of its training facility in Quorum Park, where they can gain hands-on experience working with a range of specialist engineering equipment.
The British Engines award winning Apprenticeship Scheme provides a specialised in-house training programme designed to enhance the academic and vocational learning experiences of engineering apprentices beyond standard apprenticeship requirements.
“Through this innovative role, Steve has reached around 1,500 students from 33 schools in his first year. He has been entrepreneurial and creative in shaping this new role with projects ranging from regular robotics sessions to one-off events engaging primary and secondary age children.
John Smith, Director of Partnerships at RGS
Director of Partnerships at RGS, John Smith, said: “Thanks to the generous funding of British Engines, we recruited Dr Steve Bunce as our first ever Robotics Partnerships Teacher in 2022.
“Through this innovative role, Steve has reached around 1,500 students from 33 schools in his first year. He has been entrepreneurial and creative in shaping this new role with projects ranging from regular robotics sessions to one-off events engaging primary and secondary age children.
“His ‘Bomb Disposal’ session was a huge hit with students at the Northumbria Water Innovation Festival. Students programmed and modified Sphero robots to detonate balloon bombs off a miniature Blyth coast, enabling them to learn about the subsea robotics developed on the banks of the Tyne, a great example of how Steve’s projects link career pathways to local contexts. He also played a significant role in the ‘Houses of the Future’ project as part of the launch of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University.”
Thanks to sponsorship from the Reece Foundation, an RGS Mathematics Partnerships Teacher and Physics Partnerships Teacher have also taken part in the scheme since 2021.
It is hoped that further sponsorship will allow for the recruitment of two more STEM teachers to expand the programme to even more students across the region.