A West Lothian school pupil has had the chance of a lifetime to work as an apprentice at a pioneering aerospace engineering company.
Leonardo created a new project bringing together students from very different backgrounds with striking results.
The team of apprentices consisting of Patrick McDowell (16), from St Margaret’s Academy.
The aim of the course was to provide an introductory experience to the world of work and perhaps inspire the students to consider a career in a STEM-related industry.
The course was intended to act as a ‘fast track’ to gain experience of mixing the students with peers and professionals from very different backgrounds to complete a challenging project.
The Leonardo team found that the more different the team members were, the more innovative their solutions became.
Since the emergence of the pandemic, many students have suffered from a lack of face-to-face contact with their fellow students and also wider society. The fast track course gave them an intensive exposure not only to new technology, but also to a wide range of students and professionals from other backgrounds who they may not have otherwise met.
Patrick said: “I find it fascinating here, because it is something you don’t really get to experience on a day to day basis compared to working at school, it is a good environment to be in.
“I like just being involved, walking around, and seeing all the engineers working away, going to the facilities and looking in detail at what the functions are and why they are there. I was blown away by the CATR - the Compact Antenna Test Range for testing, as I didn’t expect it when I was going in. I have always wanted to do engineering since high school, because I’ve always loved maths and wanted to go down that route and apply that skill.
“Engineering is practical as well so it gets you thinking.”
Jackie Ritchie, who managed the course, said: “Something very dynamic happened this time that was quite unlike previous courses we’ve hosted. The students only had a few days to come up with a solution to protect the supplies and safety of a fictional country. To do that they had to take on identities defined by their roles within the project team, not their background.”
Doug Swanson, head of engineering capability said: “If we can provide a platform where students can learn about different people and different mind-sets during their education, they are more likely to feel comfortable and confident when they encounter differences later on in their professional lives.
“This project gave the students the chance to interact with other students from diverse social groups and I could see over the course of the week that they felt much more confident about those interactions, underpinning our belief that diversity is one of the keys to innovation.
“It has been fantastic to watch these transformations, and the students can carry the confidence and experience they have gained into their future careers.”
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