Schoolgirls are being encouraged to consider a career in engineering and science with the help of the Marine Engineering Project (MEP) being run by the Sea Cadets.
Since 2016 8,000 girls aged 9 to 14 have been reached by the project which is funded by the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) and the Royal Navy and aims to increase interest amongst girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.
“There’s been a lot of media attention on fewer female pupils choosing STEM subjects, and we’re on a mission to change this,” said Stuart Rivers, chief executive of MNWB, the umbrella charity for the UK merchant navy and fishing fleet.
“The MEP workshops showcase all that engineering has to offer and what a rewarding career choice it is,” he added.
The interactive exercises are going down well with pupils, with 82% of those surveyed afterwards saying they enjoyed the workshops and more than half saying they would consider marine engineering as a career.
As nine-year-old Molly, said, “I didn’t know about all the environmental problems because of engineering. I would like to try and be one and help fix them and make the world better in the future.”
Teachers also praised the MEP workshops, with over 96% saying they would recommend the programme to other schools. “Through the MEP workshops, students can see that there are lots of careers within the STEM field,” said one teacher. “It gives them a lot of future thought.”
