01 Mar 2010
Cogent joined some of the North West’s leading businesses at the region’s biggest careers fair to show young people the top jobs of the future.
The government predicts that more than one million people will work in the green economy by 2015, and Warrington’s Envirolink Northwest introduced the youngsters to renewable energy - inviting them to test mini wind turbines. Cogent, wa also involved in the ‘have a go’ activities.
They were part of the Make It in Manufacturing and Engineering Zone at Skills NorthWest, where teenagers could also engineer robotics, create replica electric bus models, design, build and test aircraft, enjoy the Chemicals Northwest ‘fantastic plastic’ challenge, test their strength at the water pump game, and race Lego Mindstorm vehicles.
It was all part of the Manufacturing Institute’s Make It in Manufacturing campaign (www.makeit.org.uk), led by The Manufacturing Institute, to attract talented young people into industry. The project is being expanded this year thanks to support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency and European Regional Development Fund.
Said Nicola Eagleton-Crowther, The Manufacturing Institute’s Make it Campaign Manager: “Our aim was to show the teenagers the exciting reality of working in industry and prove that their perceptions of people standing on production lines sticking cherries on bakewells, and of dark satanic mills, are about 30 years out of date.”
Many of the North West’s leading employers ran interactive activities on the stand, including: Aircelle; BAE Systems; Dunbia; Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions; Jaguar Land Rover; Junction K ; Kinetic; MBDA; Northwest Aerospace Alliance; Northwest Automotive Alliance; Oaktec; Optare, and Unison Engine Components.
Youngsters tested their business skills by playing the Make It Tycoon game, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire style challenge - competing to win a Nintendo Wii.
Caption: Matt Lowe of Cogent is pictured with students from Essa Academy.
|
