Rockwell Automation today hosted the launch of a collaboration with Primary Engineer, a not-for-profit organisation which delivers engineering skills programmes into schools throughout the UK.
Bringing together other leading local and national industrial organisations, including Stratus Technologies, Routeco, GAMBICA and Cadence Innovation Marketing, the project is set to fund a minimum of ten local primary schools through Primary Engineer programmes in the current academic year.
The launch event, a business breakfast, brought together representatives of several of the organisations, schools and engineers involved in the project to hear from Primary Engineer UK Director Chris Rochester, who explained the mission and vision the organisation to deliver and develop engineering skills in the classroom.
Speaking about the initiative, Rochester said: “We’re delighted to be working closely with Rockwell Automation here in Milton Keynes and several other companies who share their commitment to helping promote engineering skills development from a young age.” Explaining more about Primary Engineer, he continued, “The way Primary Engineer programmes work is unique, since they support teachers by providing training to deliver our curriculum-aligned projects and bring in professional engineers to each project to offer practical expertise and professional examples of how skills transpose from the classroom to the working world.”
Zoe Nolan, cabinet member for Children and Families at Milton Keynes Council said, “What a fabulous programme! I was excited to learn more about how Primary Engineer would work alongside our teachers and bring engineers into the classroom. This is exactly the sort of help we are looking for in our schools so we all better understand the engineering of today. My thanks to Rockwell Automation, their partners Stratus, Lenze and others who are sponsoring the programme. Their timing could not be better as we prepare for our STEM University in Milton Keynes, MK:U.”
Commenting on behalf of strategic industrial PR and marketing specialists, and co-sponsors of the project Cadence Innovation Marketing, MD Tom Spencer added, “Skills development is one of the prevailing issues of our time in K industry and it’s fantastic to be part of this collaboration of UK-based companies taking a leadership role to tackle it through the excellent Primary Engineer programme. The initiative is completely open to local and national industrial organisations to join by sponsoring a school or by supporting their engineers to offer a small amount of time to help inspire children at a school near them. Resolving the growing skills shortfall is the responsibility of all UK industry, and together, through initiatives such as this, we can all play a part in helping the UK to seize the immense opportunities of Industry 4.0. Any company or individual interested in getting involved should contact Cadence or Primary Engineer and jump aboard!”
