A swathe of students descended on this year’s Manufacturing, Engineering and Marine Skills Festival at the Hampshire Rose Bowl in Southampton. Over 1500 people attended the Festival, keen to learn about everything from ship simulators to thermal imaging.
The Festival gave young people a chance to explore three industries -, manufacturing, engineering and marine - which are key to the economic future of the region. Careers advisors, exhibitors, and training providers were on hand to offer advice and demonstrate equipment and technology on show.
With over 50 exhibitors attending, students could choose from a variety of activities including:-
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Using a flight simulator to land a Merlin helicopter
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Seeing how computer aided technology is changing
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Learning how engineering is taught at University
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Viewing the latest underwater mine destroyer
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Finding out more about apprenticeships in a number of organisations including, British Gas, VT Shipbuilding, and Hendy Ford.
First time exhibitor, Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems, gave students a visible demonstration of how thermal imaging works in practice by using a specialist camera containing an infra red detector.
Pippa Chia, HR Advisor at Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems said: “This is the first time we have exhibited at the Manufacturing, Engineering and Marine Skills Festival. Giving a visual demonstration of our technology in action is far more engaging than simply having an infra red detector on the table. This way, students can actually have a go and see how engineering manufacturing is used in industry and in the world around them."
“We also want to build closer links with local schools and colleges, and raise our profile within the local community, as many people simply do not know we are based in Southampton. In the longer term we are hoping to help increase the number of young people choosing a career in engineering. Like many other employers we are increasingly faced with a smaller pool of graduates to choose from when recruiting as fewer people are selecting engineering as a career."
A number of competitions were run throughout the day and Anuarul Hassan of Bellemoor School won the main competition prize of an 80GB i-Pod. Angela Wright, Chief Executive of Solent Skill Quest the event organisers, was delighted with this year’s Festival. She said: “Each year the Skills Festival grows, and this year we had a strong response from industry with exhibitor space filling out before we had time to even publicise the event. In particular, I would like to thank exhibitors for all their efforts and I would openly encourage Hampshire students to contact us to find out more about a career in manufacturing, engineering and marine industries."
The Skills Festival is supported by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). Mark Thirkell, Employment and Skills Policy & Planning Manager from SEEDA said: “These events are important for the future economic development of the region. There continues to be a skills shortage in the manufacturing, engineering and marine sectors, and more work needs to be undertaken to bridge this gap. The Skills Festival provides an excellent way to engage young people as they start to make important decisions about their future careers. The event also fosters engagement with local employers, and helps articulate the skills needed by employers for the world of work."
To find out more about how you can take part in the Festival please contact Robin Smith on 023 8072 5725 or email bin.smith@solentskillquest.co.uk .
Southampton Solent University's Media Stand
