The Museum of Making in Derby, once the site of the world’s first mass production factory, hosted secondary school children from across the city and Nottingham as part of a flagship two-day ‘Making Futures’ event. Students were brought together with around 30 Rolls-Royce apprentices who had devised a series of clever hands-on tasks designed to teach engineering skills.
Making Futures is delivered annually through a partnership between Derby Museums and Rolls-Royce, with the manufacturing giant sponsoring the museums’ STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) learning programmes.
Students from City of Derby Academy, The Becket School, Allestree Woodlands, John Flamsteed Community School, Chellaston Academy, Lees Brook Academy, Jasmine Hall School and Landau Forte College all came to learn more about the types of skills and knowledge they would develop through a Rolls-Royce apprenticeship – with some apprentices having themselves attended local schools including Littleover Community Academy and The Ripley Academy
Students took part in a range of hands-on tasks designed by apprentices to test their skills in various areas of engineering including Additive Layer Manufacturing, Non-Destructive Testing and Maintenance. Apprentices working in Rolls-Royce’s Additive Layer Manufacturing department were teaching students about the revolutionary process that involves building parts in layers rather than solid materials.
Students were kept busy with a “3D pen challenge”, which involved working creatively to make a structure strong and stable enough to hold a marble on the top.
Another task involved testing the flight properties of various materials, while students were also able to use UV light to check materials for defects invisible to the naked eye, as well as using the power of their own physical energy to light up a bulb.
Teachers and students who attended the day said it had been a great opportunity to bring together secondary-aged young people with apprentices only a few years older, in a practical two-days of learning.
Wendy Allen, technology teacher at Chellaston Academy, was at the event with a cohort of the academy’s year 10 students who are studying for a level 2 engineering qualification.
She said: “The students we’ve brought are studying engineering and have an interest in the subject. A lot of our students haven’t been to the museum before so seeing items that were manufactured here in Derby is an inspiration for them. I think a lot of younger people perhaps don’t know how industrial Derby is.”
Jade Stacey, a class teacher at Jasmine Hall, a special needs school in Derby, praised the inclusivity of the event. She said: “It’s been really nice to attend an inclusive event with lots of mainstream students. It’s lovely and inclusive and raising aspirations too.”
Charlotte Convey, Head of Learning at Derby Museums, said: “This event provides an opportunity for school students to get the experience of coming to Derby Museums, seeing our facilities and studios, and having the opportunity to work with Rolls-Royce apprentices to get an insight into their work.”
Students also heard from one apprentice, Scarlett O’Riley, who told how she had still gained a Rolls-Royce apprenticeship having initially not passed GCSE maths, giving hope to others who would like a career in science but may worry their results will not give them the opportunities they seek.
Gill Fennell, Group Community Investment Manager at Rolls-Royce, said: “This STEAM partnership supports our priority to equip young people with the critical skills they need to achieve their aspirations and future success – and hence our own target to reach 25m young innovators through our STEM learning programmes by 2030. Through hands-on activities, the Making Futures event aims to show how the STEM students’ learning at school is applied in our industry, and provide a unique opportunity to talk to young people not much older than themselves about their learning journey and experiences of apprenticeship.”