Pupils from Braes High School were treated to an insight into science and engineering when they visited Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus recently.
The third year pupils took part in two workshops and were introduced to pneumatics and instrumentation and shown how chemical processes work in the mini-rig laboratory on Friday 2 February. The visit was organised by the college and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Forth Valley.
Three FVC Modern Apprentices Ben Cunningham who works for Scotrail, Alex Burnett who works for INEOS and Alice Black who works for Petroineos, acted as guides for the pupils on the day and gave them advice and the benefit of their experience in working towards a career in engineering and science.
Mhairi Hay, Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of Electrical, Instrumentation and Chemical Engineering, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Braes High School to the Falkirk Campus and show them around our engineering facilities. We hope this will inspire some of them to think about courses or the MA programme at Forth Valley College when it comes time to choose their career paths.”
Ellen Reid, a Design, Engineering and Technology Teacher at Braes High School, said: “The pupils were thoroughly engaged with the activities. Having hands on experience in the college showed them the type of careers their qualifications could take them into. They were surprised at how good the resources were in the engineering department which connected their experience to work place environments. Thank you to the college for inviting the pupils along and letting them see what opportunities there are for them.”
Karen Wright, from DYW Forth Valley, said: “Mhairi and her team have embraced the engagement with local schools to develop our young people. Opening up their department to host visits and workshops, for both teachers and their pupils, has brought to life the Engineering career pathway options that are available, demonstrating how these relate to their learning in the classroom and helping them to make informed decisions about their future.”