University of Bolton's engineering day inspires primary school children

The University of Bolton’s Engineering day sparked local school children’s interest in the world of engineering. Pupils from Mount St Josephs, Clarendon Primary, Gaskell Street Primary Schools and one pupil from St Josephs, in Bolton, took part in the day, which was organised by the university as part of the Year of Engineering.

The aim was to encourage children to study engineering and hopefully then move into an engineering career in an attempt to address a UK wide skills gap. Joel Goth, aged 12, who attends St Joseph’s RC School, Horwich, has his sights set high – he wants to be an astronaut. When he heard about the university event he asked his father Paul, who works in the railway industry, if he would take him along. Paul’s father has an engineering company and has worked on major UK projects so engineering runs in the family. Paul said: “It has been a fantastic day.” The children visited the University’s National Centre for Motorsport Engineering and got to understand the complex engineering behind high-performance cars. They also learned how engineering was used in dentistry to make fillings and crowns, as well as receiving insight into the skills required to design and build a stage for a live show.

Dr Kondal Reddy Kandadi, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Bolton, opened the event. “The Year of Engineering celebrates the world and the wonder of engineering and yet there is a huge shortage of skills in engineering in the UK. Today’s event is aimed at encouraging more young people – especially females – to take up a career in engineering.” He added: “We have a wide variety of courses available at the University of Bolton in fields of engineering – automotive and motorsport, dental technology, electronic and electrical engineering, mechanical, civil and biomedical, backstage engineering and much more. Hopefully, you will choose a career in engineering and a degree here at the University of Bolton.” A delegation of 20 senior leaders and managers from Shanghai’s Further Education Colleges – who are visiting the university, also attended. Dr Kandadi warmly welcomed Delegation Lead Mr Jian Zhou, Executive Deputy Principal from the Shanghai Information Technology College.