Chair's Address - January 2019
January 2019
Dear SPE Aberdeen members, colleagues and friends,
Now that the new school term is underway, our Schools Career Guidance committee have a busy session ahead inspiring the next generation. They will be attending careers fairs in school across Aberdeen city and shire; giving the pupils the benefit of their experience to help them make decisions about careers and subject choices.
There are a variety of other activities in the schools which the committee and volunteers support This including mentoring S5 and S6 pupils and inviting teachers to conference tours which provide the schools with the opportunity to establish and maintain links with industry; a very successful teacher show around was held at the recent SPE ICoTA Well Intervention conference. The committee has also developed and delivers its own CV and interview skills workshop.
Maths orientated activities are also a key focus of the committee. We have long supported TechFest’s Maths in the Pipeline; this one-day event involves real life practical applications of maths for able and enthusiastic S4 pupils. The committee are also developing their own maths programme called ‘Maths in Energy – What’s the Point?, aimed at pupils who need extra support this programme will be rolled out to schools in the area later this year.
The committee has a very successful partnership with both Aberdeen Science Centre and TechFest. Last summer we sponsored and supported the Summer of Engineering at Aberdeen Science Centre. This ran for 6 weeks and included a range of activities and workshops showing the wide variety of ways engineering helps shape our world. This event attracted over 5000 visitors and will be repeated again in 2019. Our volunteers were also on hand during the summer to help at TechFest’s Science Festival, now in its 25th year.
The Schools Career Guidance committee’s flagship event is NASA in Aberdeen which is organised jointly with the Energy Institute and the Society for Underwater Technology. March 2019 will see a NASA team comprising of an astronaut & space scientist visit Aberdeen for the third year in a row. This year the theme is drilling – on Earth and on Mars - and planning is well underway.
The fantastic support which our meetings and conferences receive throughout the year makes it possible for us to continue supporting these activities. With such a wide range of activities the committee is always delighted to hear from members who would like to be involved. If you would like to be involved or find out more, please contact the chair of the committee at SCG.chair@spe-uk.org
