12 Mar 2007 | Ref. 076/2007
London, United Kingdom. - BAE Systems Chairman Dick Olver today called on UK businesses to redouble their efforts in supporting government and education initiatives to grow the national science and engineering skillsbase.
His call, at the start of National Science & Engineering Week, follows the recently published Leitch Review which urges industry to show ‘a stronger voice’ by leading new initiatives - as BAE Systems launches its annual Education Roadshow at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.
As the largest UK employer of engineers, BAE Systems has a stake in encouraging future generations to take up the study. The Chairman said: “Unless all of us in industry and business do more to work with our partners in education and government, there is a real risk that UK plc will be left behind when it comes to global competitiveness. In the past, the UK led the world in skills-based engineering talent. Today, the global economy is changing rapidly, with emerging economies experiencing rapid growth. To keep up, UK businesses and government must work together to invest in core skills development.”
The third annual BAE Systems Education Roadshow is part of the company’s wider education initiative to inform young people about the wealth of career opportunities available in the science and engineering sector. The Roadshow will tour nationwide, and seeks to counter a declining interest in science and technology studies at schools and university. The aim is to attract school pupils aged 9-14 in Years 5, 6 and 7 to science subjects before they make their Key Stage 4 subject selections.
Richard Hamer, Education Partnerships Director for BAE Systems said: “The Roadshow is designed to challenge stereotypes about engineering and demonstrate to young people the diversity of opportunities within the field. It illustrates the different routes into engineering and is supported by our volunteer engineers who give a wide variety of examples about what they do as engineers in BAE Systems, from building an aircraft that can travel from ‘brakes off’ to supersonic in less than 30 seconds (Typhoon) to developing a submarine (Astute) that can withstand a weight the equivalent of 400 family saloon cars pressing down on every square metre of its hull when under the sea.”
Over the past two years, the roadshow has visited more than 250 schools and 30,000 school pupils nationwide. Building on the success of the last two years, the roadshow is to tour more than 100 UK schools throughout 2007 to present a theatre performance about how a team of young apprentices and graduates designed the new stage set itself and a workshop challenging students to design a new unmanned vehicle to operate in a disaster recovery scenario. The cast of three actors from theatrical communications company CragRats Ltd use a set that was designed and built by BAE Systems engineers and apprentices.
Workshop activity follows the performance utilising national curriculum aligned, interactive learning programmes designed to motivate and inspire young people and meet Design and Technology curriculum objectives.
For information on the BAE Systems Education Programme, please go to www.baesystemseducationprogramme.com.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 88,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £13.7 billion pounds sterling (US25.4 billion dollars) in 2006.
For more information about BAE Systems’ education programmes, please contact:
Simon Shrouder, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 38 3074 Mob: +44 (0) 07793 423 453
simon.shrouder@baesystems.com
Jenny Szweda, Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster,
Tel: +44 (0)20 7467 9200
jenny.szweda@bisslancaster.com
Issued by:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384710 Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
www.baesystems.com
