SERC Host We Can Engineer It Workshops for Local Secondary Schools

 SERC welcomed hundreds of secondary school pupils to the college’s Bangor and Lisburn Campuses recently as part of an initiative to introduce young people to the exciting field of engineering.  

Two interactive workshops involved students aged 12-14 from Bangor Academy and Friends’ School and Lisnagarvey High School in Lisburn.  The sessions were funded by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers as an extension to SERC’s high successful We Can Engineer It initiative, led by the college’s Engineering team.

Aine McGreeghan, Principal Lecturer for the School of Engineering and Science at SERC, said, “Engineering activities help develop skills desired by local employers, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. However, many young people do not have access to the resources or guidance needed to explore careers in engineering. To help address this disparity, our engineering workshops were aimed at young people who face economic challenges, providing exposure, education, and hands-on experience to spark their interest in engineering and inspire them to pursue a career in the field.”

She added, “The pupils participated in several fun activities that introduced them to engineering fundamentals.   Understanding how levers work is much more fun if you are making simple catapults and trying to hit a target.”

Since 2021, the We Can Engineer It initiative has engaged with women and girls to promote engineering as a career choice.   Members of the team have volunteered as STEM Ambassadors to help young people, especially females, excel in the industry and the female lecturers have supported the Career Ready post-16 Programme by mentoring future engineers.  

SERC would like to thank Thales and Camlin for their support with the workshops.

Main picture above: Bangor Academy pupils, Cass Forbes and Jorjia Lemon who took part in the We Can Engineer It interactive workshops at SERC with Aine McGreeghan, Principal Lecturer.  

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