A thousand pupils attend Gatwick's STEM roadshow
One thousand pupils from five local schools visited a Gatwick Airport Roadshow at Ashcombe School, Dorking, yesterday in a continuing programme across the region designed to encourage children to pursue Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) related careers
Courtesy Gatwick Airport
The aim of the roadshows is to give students across the region a more hands-on experience of STEM-related careers to encourage them to consider working in the industry. They also aim to highlight jobs at the airport that may not immediately be known of by school children such as airfield engineers and external security staff.
The pupils had an eclectic choice of activities at the Dorking roadshow - the third in the series – including education on the safe flying drones from the police, presentations from easyJet cabin crew and pilots to understand their jobs better and looking for hidden items in the x-ray images, guided by the Gatwick security officers.
The roadshows are part of Gatwick’s wider community engagement programme which is designed to generate meaningful and lasting impacts on the lives of local communities, particularly the young, elderly and other vulnerable groups.
Having now been to Kent, East Sussex and Surrey, the roadshows will continue in March at Worthing College, West Sussex, to ensure the whole region benefits from the scheme.
Gatwick also recently announced that it has partnered with 15 primary schools and five local secondary schools near to Gatwick and - as part of their continued professional development – nearly 30 teachers learned new techniques that bring engineering-related projects to life so that they are better able to inspire children in the classroom and in the school curriculum.
Paula Aldridge, Community Engagement Manager, Gatwick Airport said: “It was brilliant to see the students immerse themselves in all the activities. I genuinely think the pupils’ perception of STEM subjects and careers at the airport changed for the better.
“All the activities were engaging and fun and I want to thank all of Gatwick’s business partners for helping this event happen.
“I now look forward to replicating this success in West Sussex for the fourth roadshow in the on-going programme of Gatwick’s investment in children’s education for the region.”