The Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW) is a
Registered Charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
based in
Bridgend
Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...
which works to encourage young people to consider engineering as a career. The EESW has been operating nationally in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
since 1989 and now runs several projects at various stages of education as well as its flagship engineering scheme for students aged
16–18.
Activities
The Scheme
The scheme for
Sixth Form
In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...
students operates on a yearly basis starting in October and takes on about 450 students from Welsh schools. Small groups of students are assigned a local company and work on a real engineering project with that company over a five-month period. Support is provided by an engineer from the partner company and
Welsh universities
There are currently eight universities operating in Wales, all of which receive funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). Although university status in Wales only requires taught academic degree, degree awarding powe ...
who provide access to workshops and more powerful equipment.
Students work throughout the period to produce a final report with their experiences and findings which is presented to a panel of professional engineers at the EESW's annual Awards and Presentation day in March.
Other work
Stem
In 2009, the EESW merged its activities with Technology Alliance Wales (TAW), which previously focused on promoting
STEM
Stem or STEM most commonly refers to:
* Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant
* Stem group
* Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
Stem or STEM can also refer to:
Language and writing
* Word stem, part of a word respon ...
subjects from
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
age up to Sixth Form. Since then, the EESW has extended its range of activities to include the F1 Challenge, Girls into Engineering, Scalextric Challenge, the Jaguar Sports Car Challenge and an apprenticeship pathway.
The F1 Challenge
The EESW runs the F1 Challenge in Wales at both primary and secondary levels; the project involves designing and making a model
F1 racing car powered by a
CO2 capsule. Students work in a team to create a portfolio documenting their progress through each stage (e.g. brainstorming, design, testing) before creating a model car to compete in regional finals held in North and South Wales. The winners of the regional finals go on to the UK final held at the Big Bang Event. The winners of the secondary age group UK final represent the country at an international competition which is held in a different country each year.
References
{{Reflist
External links
EESW Website
Education in Wales