Hampshire Year 7 pupils visit HMS Sultan for SULSTEMIC event that inspires the next generation of engineers
‘Fantastic event’ sees young people engage in engineering
Over 260 Year 7 pupils from schools across Hampshire had the chance to attend an event at HMS Sultan to inspire the next generation of engineers.
The students visited the Royal Navy’s premier engineering training establishment on Wednesday, June 10 where they able to take part in fun and engaging activities as part of the SULSTEMIC event. From getting to grips with drone piloting and and sitting in a helicopter the young people aged 11-12 were able to get an insight into the many facets of a career in engineering.
Schools attending the event included Bridgemary School, Bay House, St Edmunds Catholic School, Fareham Academy, Henry Cort Community College, Meoncross School, Priory School, Kings Academy Brune Park, Kings Academy Bay House, and All's Well School. All of which were able to see through hands-on activities demonstrating how engineering underpins modern technology, national defence and everyday life.
The Commanding Officer, HMS Sultan, Captain Mark Hamilton said: "It has been a great privilege to host SULSTEMIC, to see these pupils' curiosity and energy to learn, asking lots of questions, as they engage with, and solve, real problems.
"Beyond our primary focus of training for the needs of Defence, HMS Sultan and the Royal Navy have a wider commitment to help close the UK's engineering skills gap, and SULSTEMIC is a tangible expression of that, and I am very proud of my team who have organised everything.
"For all the pupils involved, we hope that today's STEM spark grows into something which will encourage them to take a closer look."
Royal Navy Air Engineers introduced pupils to helicopter fault diagnosis, basic flight servicing, and drone piloting while Marine Engineers offered experiments with power generation, model ship building and buoyancy testing, and an interactive submarine simulation.
There were also a number of demonstration's from HMS Sultan’s industry partners including static drone displays with VR headsets, nuclear naval innovation, and gas turbine engineering.
Saagar Jagatia, Head of Faculty, Computer Science, Business and Food Tech, King's Academy Brune Park said: "SULSTEMIC has been a fantastic event. From the moment we started in the main hangar, you could see the impact, having high-profile personnel from the Navy there to speak to the students meant a lot, and it really helped them feel comfortable enough to ask all the questions they wanted.
“The drone flying event had a big impact; having to fly drones from one ship to another and land them to score points, they absolutely loved that. Events like this complement what we deliver in the classroom, and since our last visit we've actually introduced more robotics elements into our curriculum as a result.
“Every session we attended spoke about future aspirations, engineering and apprenticeships. I think that's genuinely helped our students think 'maybe this is the route I want to go down' rather than assuming university is the only path. That's been really powerful, especially as so many of our students are local to the area."
Brune Park student Armie said: "My favourite activity was the boat making, it surprised me how the design makes things work so differently. I've always thought engineering was exciting, but now I think it's even more fun. I'm probably going to focus on science and geography at school, I'm just excited for what's coming next."
Brune Park student CJ said: "Going into the helicopter was my favourite part, I was surprised by how cramped it actually is because it looks huge on the outside! Today made me realise there are a lot more types of engineering than I thought. Re-engineering the boats was quite difficult, but when it worked it was really pleasing, I might do engineering when I'm older."
SULSTEMIC was attended by Rear Admiral Steve McCarthy CB, Chief Naval Engineer Officer (CNEO), who joined as Guest of Honour.