Case Studies
Employer encounter case studies:
SOCOTEC Trip
On Friday 24th November A handful of year 9 pupils who expressed a keen interest in pursuing a career in engineering and infrastructure, had the opportunity to visit SOCOTEC in Binley, the UK’s leading provider of testing, inspection and compliance services
The day consisted of a tour around the laboratories, the mystery of the leaning Tower of Pisa activity where they had to solve the mystery of why the Tower of Pisa leans and a chance to interview four employees who have various roles within the company. The pupils illustrated a number of key skills including leadership, questioning, listening, problem solving and teamwork.
Student quotes:
“I enjoyed seeing the labs and seeing how everything was processed before being built”
“I liked when we had the tour and saw how some of the engineers worked on a daily basis”
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Big Bang Event
On Wednesday 21 June our year 8 students attended the Big Bang Fair, one of the largest STEM conventions for young people in the UK.
Students got involved in hands-on activities, talking to STEM professionals and learning more about different careers in Science. With a whole host of things to see and do, our students got stuck into everything ranging from ecology and wildlife care, to sitting in a road traffic control car. Students even had the opportunity to hold a stick insect – and yes it really does feel like a stick! The main stage saw fun and interactive demonstrations on reactive elements and static electricity, including one of Grace Academy Solihull’s very own assistants! The event was a huge success and left the students feeling enthused and inspired.
| Student Quotes:
“It’s a fun and engaging way to learn” “You get to learn all of the fun and engaging things about science” “It was educational and fun” “It widens your understanding of science jobs” |
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Morgan Sindall STEM workshop
On Friday 16 July we were fortunate to have 3 experienced engineers from Morgan Sindall come into school to work with a selected group of Year 9 pupils who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in engineering. The day consisted of an introduction to engineering, myth buster conversations, as well as CV and interview skills & team building workshops.
The pupils illustrated a number of key skills including leadership, listening and teamwork, whilst working together to solve engineering myths and build a paper bridge to see whose would hold the most weight for the longest time. The day was a huge success with both the pupils and engineers:
Student Quotes from the day include:
“It has been a really fun day, wouldn’t change any of it.”
“I like the fact that the workshops are hands-on.”
“Good day – enjoyed learning about the different types of engineering and the problem solving tasks.”
“Good as I found it interesting seeing what the engineers have built.”
“I enjoyed the team work.”
Princess Diana workshop
Year 12 students have completed the 12-week mentoring programme where they have participated in a range of different workshops for businesses, skills and experiences to help prepare them for future careers or university.
Severn Trent experience
An educator on behalf of Severn Trent came to Grace Academy to talk to the Year 8 students about the science behind our water. They explored the journey of water from the sky, to our rivers, to our sinks and toilets and back to the river. The students were introduced through videos to various individuals in different job roles within Severn Trent, from engineers to educators.
They explored what these people did and what was involved in their job on a day-to-day basis. It was a great success.
Careers Fair Case study
A fantastic day! Year 9-13 students had the chance to meet over 25 guests which included further education, training providers, higher education providers, apprenticeships and various employers. Students prepared for their visit by completing activities in their tutor sessions and then evaluated their experience once back in lessons with discussions and feedback. The atmosphere was fantastic with some really pleasing comments from our guests.
