Central Fife pupils take part in Babcock engineering festival

More than 300 pupils were invited last week to take on a series of engineering challenges, including ship buoyancy, bridge building, robotics, communications and immersive virtual‑reality experiences.

Many of the activities were facilitated and attended by employees themselves. Kids got the chance to digitally weld, see 3D printing in action and speak to Strathclyde University students about their F1 car building project.

The pupils were tasked with building a bridge. (Image: David Wardle)

While the event was aimed at older primary school pupils, the idea is to engage children with engineering ahead of their move to secondary school and then after, to the working world.

Owen Olszok, 18, from Lochgelly, started as an apprentice with Babcock in late summer last year.

He said: "I was really into graphic communications and 3D modelling, and then I saw that Babcock was doing work experience.

Owen from Lochgelly. (Image: David Wardle)

"It's been really good. I'm in the first year of my apprenticeship and at college, when I'm not at college, though I'm on site working on things.

"I would recommend it. Because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in school, I saw apprenticeships and wasn't sure about them. But the more I looked into them, the more it stood out to me. I applied for it, and here I am."

To the Director of Operations, Joe Doogan, a big part of the event is engaging with pupils from local primary schools, as Babcock looks to increase its employment of youngsters from Fife.

He said: "To inspire some of these kids that pass through here, to a future in engineering, would be a good thing for me.

"It's just about getting their wheels turning in their head that this could be a career. We are in the heart of the community, and we want to create careers for people of all ages and give them employment prospects here, as well as good, well-trained and rewarding jobs."

Joe continued: "We've tried to make all the stations interactive, so they're getting hands-on, and they're testing themselves. Through there, the bridge building, it's problem-solving.

"Lots of the kids will come away from here, and it might spark something; it might not be a career in engineering or manufacturing, but it gets them to working with their hands.

"I was speaking to one of the teachers who'd been here before, and she said this is one of the best days out the kids will get in the year."