Sparking imaginations at our Festival of Engineering

It has been great to welcome more than 300 local primary school children to our Rosyth facility over the last two days to get involved in exciting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities as part of our annual Festival of Engineering.

Pupils, aged between 10 – 12 years old, attended from five different schools and explored the hi-tech world of engineering, robotics and virtual reality when they made their way around five zones of engineering innovations, which we organised in partnership with the Royal Navy and further education and industry representatives, including Fife College, Thales, Scottish Power and The National Robotarium.

From chocolate welding to sustainable boatbuilding using recycled materials, there was something on offer to stimulate and excite all the young imaginations.

Organised by a group of our fourth-year graduates, the innovative event aims to encourage young people into a career in engineering. Our graduates regularly host virtual and in-person STEM events for both primary and secondary pupils, providing advice on apprenticeships, career paths into the workplace and site tours of our Rosyth facility.

Beth, a Babcock project management graduate who helped to organise the event, said: “The Festival of Engineering was busy with activity as we welcomed hundreds of local school children to join us on a voyage of discovery. The feedback from the pupils and teachers who attended was fantastic, and we can’t wait to grow this exciting event in the years to come.”

School pupils who attended the event were invited to draw a picture imagining the RRS Sir David Attenborough on one of its fantastic missions. The budding artists behind the three best drawings will get the chance to tour the UK’s newest polar research ship when it stops at Rosyth for maintenance.

Sean Donaldson, Babcock’s Managing Director at Rosyth, added: “Supporting our local community is an important aspect of our business and the Festival of Engineering is a great example of this. The level of interest from the next generation of potential scientists and engineers was truly inspiring.”