Dynamic Dozen Engineers set to inspire UK school children

The dynamic dozen all work on exciting projects that make a positive difference to the world, from saving the lives of otters to stopping plastics entering our rivers and oceans.

The engineers on a mission will be the stars of films and a unique Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly which offers schools across the UK the chance to take part in the same assembly on engineering careers at the same time.

The Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly takes place on 7 November and is a live video stream. It features a panel of inspiring engineers who will discuss their careers and the positive impact engineering has on the issues young people care about most, such as protecting the environment, animal welfare, safety and security, health and entertainment.

Over 250 schools have already signed up to the Big Assembly with tens of thousands of students expected to take part, who will be able to ask questions to the panel live via social media.

The Tomorrow‘s Engineers Week Big Assembly is sponsored by BCS, ICE, IET, IMechE and Year of Engineering and supported by other professional institutions and will also be available on demand after the live broadcast has finished.

The engineers on a mission featured during Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, which runs from 5-9 November 2018, include:

• Bob Gould and Marc Anderson from Robertson Civil Engineering who are on a mission to keep animals safe. 
• Serena Cunsolo, a PHD student at Portsmouth University on a mission to get rid of plastics from our waters. 
• Roshni Wijesekera, on a mission to keep people safe and secure in an emergency with her job at AECOM. 
• Jack Hooper, on a mission to help improve mental health thanks to his wristband, doppel.
• Dave Cooper, on a mission to entertain people through his work at Aardvark FX.
• Simon Crowther from Flood Protection Solutions and on a mission to help people stay safe.
• Sankha Kahagala-Gamage a student at Lougborourgh Grammar School on a mission to save epilepsy sufferers’ lives.
• Dr Ozak Esu, on a mission to improve safety and security through her work as an electrical engineer.
• Anneka Kang, a PHD student at University College London and on a mission to provide clean energy.
• Nardia Pyre, a graduate engineer on a mission to keep people safe through her work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
• Hannah Surry, on a mission to make IT more secure and accessible to all as an apprentice with Lloyds Bank.  

Broadcaster Fayon Dixon, who will host the Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly, said:

“I’ve seen first hand how engineers can make a huge difference in the world. Every year I host events for young people at The Big Bang Fair and see them inspired by engineers who are helping to save the environment, develop medical procedures, keep us safe, help animals and even entertain us! 

“I’m delighted to be hosting the first ever Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly and would urge all schools to sign up to take part.”

Helen Richardson, the Big Assembly Producer and Managing Director of Workpays added:

“We were bowled over by the excitement and success of previous Big Assemblies with thousands of people watching the live and on demand broadcast about apprenticeships. The Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly is going to be bigger, better and more interactive with an opportunity for students to put their questions to a panel of inspiring engineers and experts.”

More information on how to get involved is available at tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/teweek.

Schools can sign up to be part of the Big Assembly at bigassembly.org. 

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week (#TEWeek18) takes place from 5-9 November 2018 and aims to change perceptions of engineering among young people, their parents and teachers and to inspire future engineers. Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is led by EngineeringUK. To find out how to get involved, visit www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/teweek 

EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit organisation, which works in partnership with the engineering community to promote the vital role of engineers and engineering and to inspire the next generation. EngineeringUK leads engagement programmes The Big Bang and Tomorrow’s Engineers, and produces the annual Engineering UK State of Engineering report. For more information, visit www.engineeringuk.com

The Big Assembly

The Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly will be hosted live at 10:30am on 7 November and then available for download. The Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Big Assembly gives young people the chance to hear directly from engineering professionals about their work, their inspiration and route into the industry. And there’s the opportunity to get involved live via social media. Schools can register to take part at www.bigassembly.org 

The Tomorrow‘s Engineers Week Big Assembly is sponsored by BCS, ICE, IET, IMechE and Year of Engineering and supported by other professional institutions. 

About BCS: www.bcs.org 

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT recognised many years ago the need to ensure a high quality teaching experience for young people, but also recognised that there was often little in the way of support for computing teachers in schools. That’s why it established the Computing At School (CAS) network in 2008. CAS is a free to access peer-to-peer on-line support network. As well as providing access to more than 6,500 free, relevant teaching resources, teachers are able to share experiences and ask for help, guidance and advice. This all helps our aim of making sure that CAS is at the forefront of providing thought leadership to the CAS Community and beyond so that CAS continues to be the principal point of contact for teachers of computing and computing science.

About Institution of Civil Engineers: www.ice.org.uk

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) qualifies professionals engaged in civil engineering, exchanges knowledge and best practice, and promotes their contribution to society. ICE members help to create the structures and systems that sustain society and shape the world. They are responsible, for example, for designing, building, maintaining and improving bridges, roads, canals, hospitals, schools, airports, power stations and railways.

About Institution of Mechanical Engineers: http://www.imeche.org/

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 117,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.

About Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET): www.theiet.org

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 169,000 members in 150 countries. We are also the most multidisciplinary to reflect the increasingly diverse nature of modern engineering.

About Year of Engineering: www.yearofengineering.gov.uk/

The Year of Engineering is a government campaign, which celebrates the world and wonder of engineering. It also forms an important part of our Industrial Strategy which is committed to boosting engineering across the UK, ensuring everyone has the skills needed to thrive in a modern economy.