Engine Shed on Tour, the latest initiative from Bristol’s highly successful innovation hub, has been launched to encourage young people to follow careers in the West of England’s tech, digital and low carbon sectors.
Engine Shed on Tour will visit 16 schools and businesses across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset between March and July.
Among the skills the secondary school pupils will be taught will be how to use 360-degree cameras by older students from Boomsatsuma, the young people’s arts and creative skills organisation based at Engine Shed.
This will enable them to shape a short film about the business they’ve visited, and what it’s like to work there.
The films will be led by the information that young people want to discover about a workplace, and it’s hoped they will showcase a range of roles from entry level to senior positions, and the exciting tech and creative careers in the West of England.
The films will then be shown by the secondary school pupils to their feeder primary school’s year 5 and 6 pupils, where around 1,000 children will have access to the work they have created.
The launch took place with students from Digitech Studio School in Warmley at the Bristol & Bath Science Park, where Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS) – the independent, not-for-profit specialist in high-value design capability – is supporting the project.
Other businesses hosting student groups will include advanced analytics firm Actual Experience in Bath, global specialist engineering group Renishaw in Wotton-under-Edge and ethical tea firm Pukka in Keynsham.
The tour is part of Engine Shed’s campaign to drive inclusive economic growth, encouraging young people from diverse backgrounds to work in sectors where their groups are currently underrepresented.
Boomsatsuma creative project manager Lyndsay Davies said: “The Engine Shed on Tour project is a fantastic opportunity for young people from diverse backgrounds to gain rare insights to some of the city’s most innovative organisations whilst exploring their own creativity through access to high tech equipment.
“The young people are at the heart of this project and the resources made by them, for them, will seek to harness their fresh perspectives on exciting work spaces that can be shared by all.”
Engine Shed on Tour was unveiled in January at Engine Shed’s fourth anniversary celebrations, as a winning ‘super project’ contributing to the Diverse Workforce for the Future project.
Engine Shed director Nick Sturge said: “We are really delighted to see the Engine Shed on Tour bus on the road at Bristol & Bath Science Park with Digitech Studio School pupils. Engine Shed aims to inspire creativity and growth in others and we have gained access to 16 innovative, growing businesses in the West of England region that could offer future opportunities for the diverse young people in education right now.
“This is an important milestone in progressing an inclusive economy for the future. We are looking forward to seeing what the students produce and how our partner companies gain insight to their business.”
Pictured: Students and Engine Shed and Boomsatsuma staff at the launch. Photo by Jon Craig Photo @JonCraig.co.uk
