More than 1,000 primary school pupils around “Surf City” have been taking part in a four-week hands-on project involving subsea firm Technip to help find future engineers.
The “Engineer ‘n’ our lives” project, developed and facilitated by Live Wire Productions and TechFest-SetPoint, sees pupils take part in a materials-based challenge looking at the role of engineers to produce everyday products.
Students at primary schools in Elrick, Crombie, Skene and Westhill took part and were challenged to complete a design, properties, prototype and process challenge using chairs, toys, vending machines and sweet factories, among their many engineered products.
The results – including how they were achieved – were then show-cased to Technip staff and teachers.
Bill Morrice, managing director Technip UK, said: “How many of us ever stop to think about the engineers behind what we see, use, eat and have in our homes?
“Every product has been produced by an engineer of some sort and we are aiming to bring a flavour of engineering to every primary school pupil in the area.
Fiona Lavery, Westhill Primary School head teacher, added: “The ‘Engineer ‘n’ our lives’ programme is a fantastic way of introducing engineering into the curriculum.
“It prompts the youngsters to think differently about the objects they come into contact with on a daily basis and consider where they came from.”
Cllr Richard Stroud, chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s education, learning and leisure committee, said: “Westhill is well-known as a global base for industry, and this scheme could inspire the young people of the town to form part of the next generation of skilled engineers serving the area.”