Telford College has been giving young people an insight into the world of engineering by helping to mould them into qualified ‘industrial cadets’.
The Haybridge campus took part in a three-day programme which gives years nine, 10 and 11 students the chance to earn a bronze Industrial Cadets award.
The group of 30 spent the first of their three days at the college, before moving to the University of Wolverhampton on day two, and ending at Hortonwood-based food processing company Faccenda.
The Industrial Cadets programme has been running since 2010, and is backed nationally by a host of high-profile names, including Prince Charles, and astronaut Tim Peake.
Samantha Jones, learner manager from the engineering school at Telford College, said: “For students to gain their bronze award, they have to complete at least 20 hours of work experience.
“During their time with us, they all completed four activities including the creation of pneumatic and hydraulic circuits using software, then building these circuits with pneumatic and hydraulic components.
“They also created programs to manipulate robot arms in a pick-and-place activity, and we also ran an automotive lighting wiring and mechanical activity where students had to calculate moments and identify centroids.”
She added: “The Industrial Cadets programme is an excellent way for young people to gain useful experience, soft skills and an understanding of what careers in engineering have to offer.
“It’s important to inspire people at a young age before they make their career choices, and to highlight the wide range of engineering jobs which are available at local companies.
“This is not one of those work experience programmes where students merely stand around – it is a fully interactive package.”
