Youngsters get taste of engineering at Aberdeen event
An Aberdeen-based not-for-profit organisation held an event to inspire the next generation of engineers.
engineering
Opinion: Women in STEM – we need to rebrand the image of our industry
The news that so many girls growing up in Scotland don’t think they are smart enough or too weak to pursue a STEM career is a wake-up call for everyone involved in helping these young women make choices about their future.
Opinion: Women in STEM – Real-life role models cannot be underestimated
At St Margaret’s School for Girls we read the article which showed a quarter of girls in Scotland aged between 11 and 16 do not think they are clever enough to become a scientist with great interest. In girls’ schools across the country it has long been acknowledged that building confidence and self-esteem in girls is key to their success in the classroom, particularly with regard to the uptake of science and maths. The number of our girls pursuing STEM subjects at university continues to be high and is in stark contrast with the figures released by EDF Energy today.
Opito strikes deal to work with ECITB
Oil and gas skills body Opito has agreed to work more closely with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) to avoid duplication of effort. The two engineering skills bodies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deliver to their members a “common menu of skills solutions”, to collaborate on the collation of industry data around manpower trends and skills forecasting, as well as the creation of skills programmes that meet common industry needs. The collaboration will also build on work undertaken to date around the industry’s modern apprenticeship scheme.
Record order book helps Costain to increased profit
Engineering group Costain has reported a strong first half of 2015 with increased revenue and profits.
Jobs boost for Monadelphous after Chevron contract win
Chevron has awarded a contract for work on its Barrow Island assets in Australia to engineering company Monadelphous. The move has given the company a jobs boost with 500 people expected to be employed to perform work under the three-year agreement.
Petrofac nets $780million Kuwait contract
Petrofac has been awarded a $780million contract from KOC (Kuwait Oil Company) for its manifold group trunkline in the country. The international oil and gas services provider said the win will play an integral part in KOC’s plans to increase and maintain its crude production over the next five years. There are three new gathering centres – forming part of the broader engineering, procurement and construction contract - already being built.
Skills academy supports oil and gas industry
In February last year, the formal launch of OGAS (established 2012) took place at the Scottish Parliament, where its fresh-out-of-the-box director, Rulzion Rattray, outlined the potential and new opportunities made available through the formation of the academy.
AKD Engineering to close
An engineering company which sells services to the oil and gas industry is to close, with the loss of more than 100 jobs. AKD Engineering in Lowestoft, Suffolk, announced its intention to close the business from the end of June, following several years of “substantial“ losses, compounded by the current downturn in the oil and gas sector.
Action is needed to get more women in energy industry boardrooms, report says
There are too few women entering, staying in and reaching the highest levels of the energy industry, a new report says. Professional services firm PwC and industry body POWERful Women (PfW) reveal research findings showing just 5% of executive boards seats among the top 100 UK-headquartered energy firms are held by women. More than three in five of the firms (61%) have no women on their boards at all.
The ‘black hole of sunlight’
A multi-disciplinary engineering team at the University of California, San Diego, have developed a new nanoparticle-based material for concentrating solar power plants designed to absorb and convert to heat more than 90% of the sunlight it captures. It is said the new material can also withstand temperatures greater than 700C and survive many years outdoors in spite of exposure to air and humidity. By contrast, current solar absorber material functions at lower temperatures and needs to be overhauled almost every year for high temperature operations.
Aker Solutions secures financial authority approval for company shake-up
Norwegian company Aker Solutions is one step closer to finalising plans for its split at the end of this month.