Home
Corporate Responsibility
How We Operate
Stakeholder Relations
Education
| Corporate Responsibility | ||
| How We Operate | ||
|
||
| Education | ||
|
||
|
We support the teaching of science and technology
in schools, colleges and universities worldwide. This
encourages young people to take an interest in these
important subjects and helps us ensure a supply of talent
in the future. We asked Jamie Zona and Tyler Forbes who
are directly involved in FIRST, a US education initiative
we support, for their views on its benefits*.
* Their commentary does not imply an endorsement of this report which they have not reviewed. |
|
 |
Stakeholder positionJamie ZonaSenior Principal Mechanical Engineer, BAE Systems FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international engineering competition where high school students design a remote-control robot. BAE Systems contributes funding to FIRST and our employees volunteer to mentor student teams. “I have been a mentor on the Merrimack High School FIRST Robotics Team for three years. I assist the students with the mechanical design of the robot and help them build design models that are turned into drawings. The BAE Systems prototype shop builds the robot. I work alongside a team of dedicated parents and engineers to offer support and advice and to coordinate activities, but this really is the student’s project. They design the robot, they build some of it, they assemble it and when it breaks, they fix it. I have learned a great deal from this programme – and not just about robotics. I have learned about teamwork, scheduling and project coordination. I have also come to understand a lot about high school students – what motivates them and how they interact. Most who sign up for the project already have a propensity towards science, math and technology, although some join to be with their friends on the programme. Either way, FIRST gets them even more interested in these subjects. The process of building the robot and talking to other teams gives the students an incredible knowledge base and boosts their confidence. They also learn the benefit of being part of the community. My team hosts summer science and robotics camps for elementary and middle school students, as well as doing many other activities in the community. The FIRST programme is great for BAE Systems too. We are able to interact with some of the brightest and most motivated high school students,many of whom we offer internships. It is highly likely that these students will get technical degrees and have an immediate interest in BAE Systems as the employer of choice – several former FIRST students are now working as engineers at the Company. BAE Systems also benefits by being recognised for its involvement with the local community. What we need to do now is expand our funding of the FIRST project to include more schools.” Tyler Forbes US FIRST mentor and former FIRST participant “I discovered the FIRST competition as a middle school student on a trip to a local high school. I was interested straight away and joined the team at the first opportunity. Over the last six years I have worked in almost every area of a FIRST team. When I joined I just tried to absorb as much information as possible; through my high school years I became a team co-leader and then a student head of robot design. I am now at university and have started mentoring local high school teams. I have always been good at science and math but you don’t have to have these skills to take part. FIRST Robotics teams are so varied that all you really need is a little determination and the will to learn. Students all bring different experiences and skills to the programme, they teach each other and solve problems together. FIRST can be beneficial to just about any student. It doesn’t just teach engineering skills, you get management and business experience too. The FIRST programme has strengthened my interest in science in technology and has focused my career path towards mechanical and manufacturing engineering. The leadership, technical and creative skills that I have learned as a FIRST student and mentor will help me become a successful engineer. Real-world job skills only come with experience, they cannot be taught in a classroom – that is why project experience is so valuable. By supporting programmes like US FIRST, BAE Systems is nurturing the engineers of the future. The more BAE Systems invests in these young people the more they will be worth to the Company in the future as successful, productive engineers. Through internships and educational programmes, BAE Systems later attracts many US FIRST students back as employees. I fully intend to aim for a career at BAE Systems considering what they have invested in me.” Our responseThe number of students enrolled in engineering and technology courses has fallen considerably in recent years. This means that there will be fewer future candidates for technical positions and this could affect our competitiveness and the future capability of the engineering industry.To help address this we run a worldwide education programme aimed at encouraging young people throughout their academic careers to take an interest in science and technology. We support education in Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US. FIRST is just one example. We partner with many schools, colleges and universities to equip young people with the skills they need for an engineering career. In 2005,we invested £7 million directly in our global support for education and young people. We invested an additional £28.5 million in the UK through our indirect support for education in the form of apprenticeships, work placements and university research. UK Schools programme Over 350 employees (called ambassadors) from BAE Systems visit schools in the UK to help with engineering projects and to give careers advice. Our UK Education Programme primarily targets 10 to 13-year-olds. In 2005,we launched the Schools Roadshow that includes a theatre performance. This is designed to interest the pupils in science and maths and get them thinking about a career in engineering, before they make subject choices at 14. The Roadshow was launched by Dick Olver, our Chairman, and Dr Kim Howells, the UK education minister. The show visited 134 schools near our major sites, involving over 17,000 young people. The team from BAE Systems was accompanied by three actors who performed a specially designed play about building a vehicle that can fly, float and work on land. After the performance the actors divided the students into groups for a workshop. The students were challenged to build the highest structure they could, using only newspapers and sticky tape. The structure had to support the weight of an iPod. BAE Systems employees were on hand to help the young people brainstorm ideas and give personal insights on how engineers approach such tasks. The schools were challenged to devise an environmentally-friendly vehicle for the year 2050. The aim was for the students to develop an engineering design proposal whilst having fun. Our employees returned to the schools twice: half way through the project to check on progress and to help develop ideas; and once more near completion to comment on the work. Every school that submitted a completed project received a certificate from BAE Systems. The best designs are showcased on www.baesystems.com/education The website also contains resources for teachers and pupils. The programme has had a big impact. All the children were asked to complete a questionnaire about the experience and over 70% of boys and 40% of girls said they would now consider a career in engineering. “Before I thought engineering was just about cars, but now I know engineering is about lots of different things. Engineering is very important in our working lives.” Pupil, St George’s School for Girls, Edinburgh After the completion of the Roadshow we offered work experience to 14 to 16-yearolds to try and maintain their interest. In 2005, 495 young people completed one-day or one-/two-week placements with the Company. BAE Systems won the 2005 Edge Employer Award for its education activity. This award recognises employers in the UK that are dedicated to helping young people learn in the workplace. We are using the prize money to create a new virtual work experience area on our education website for those pupils who were unable to attend our work experience placements. Higher education strategic partnerships In the UK,we have strategic partnerships with 20 colleges and universities to build engineering research capabilities and improve graduate recruitment. In 2005, BAE Systems became the first corporate sponsor of the new National Science Learning Centre at York University. This is the first dedicated centre of excellence for the teaching of science to all age groups in the UK. We also fund the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) at Loughborough University. The SEIC is a state-of-the-art centre for excellence in all areas of research and technology development, teaching and training. Apprenticeships BAE Systems is the largest employer of engineering apprentices in the UK, with more than 1,000 apprentices in training. Apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to gain qualifications through on-the job training. This benefits us by ensuring a strong skills set in the future. In 2005, Vic Emery, Managing Director, Naval Ships presented the business benefits of apprenticeships to EU education policy makers at a conference organised during the UK EU Presidency. Apprentices train in a wide range of skills, from engineering, steelwork and joinery to business administration and information technology. Overall the programme has an 87% completion and retention rate. This is high compared with other apprenticeship programmes where the rates are as low as 24%. Our Chief Executive, Mike Turner,was part of the Apprenticeship Task Force which advised the Government on how to expand and improve apprenticeships in the UK. In 2005,we received the Employer of the Year Award at the Apprenticeship Awards 2005. The Company also made formal responses to the Leitch Review of Skills and the Foster Review of Further Education. These reviews were commissioned by the Government to improve the skills base in the UK. US We sponsor a number of programmes to support science and technology across the US. Our scholarships to colleges and universities have enabled hundreds of students to take courses in technical fields. For example in 2005:
Australia In Australia BAE Systems supports a wide range of school and university programmes. The company works with these institutions, offering sponsorship and mentoring programmes, to inspire young people to get involved in engineering. These projects include:
Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia BAE Systems supports the Chevening Scholarships, run by the British Council to give young people the opportunity to study in the UK and return with skills that will contribute to the development of their home country. We also sponsor the British Council’s post-doctoral research programme which gives Saudi academics grants to conduct research in British universities. We are partnering with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to develop standard qualifications and training curriculum for technical trades and vocational qualifications. This four-year programme is funded by BAE Systems, and a full-time, seconded BAE Systems specialist helps to run the programme. Apart from the provision of funding and specialist help,we also provide information about national vocational programmes in other countries. |
||
