Royal Observatory in Edinburgh will open its doors to children and parents for Engineering Open House Day
- Royal Observatory in Edinburgh is inviting young people and parents to its Engineering Open House Day event on Wednesday 31 July 2019
- Engineering Open House Day is organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and includes 27 companies and organisations which open their doors to showcase inspiring careers in engineering and technology
- Incentivised by a growing need for people with engineering skills, recent research showed almost half (48%) of parents from Scotland felt they would struggle to guide their children to gain more experience in relevant fields
Children and parents are invited to visit the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, on Wednesday 31 July 2019 for Engineering Open House Day. Organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), this special event allows visitors to experience the world of engineering and technology first-hand and to get an insight into the reality of the exciting careers on offer in this field.
In good news for the future of engineering, new research by the IET shows nearly a quarter of parents across the UK say their children have expressed an interest in engineering as a career. Despite this, almost a third of mums and dads feel they would struggle to describe what an engineer actually does.
To help parents better guide their children, the IET has run Engineering Open House Day events across the UK for the last five years. Held in partnership with a variety of companies to demonstrate the plethora of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers available, these events offer further insight to parents and children regarding how to progress into a career in engineering.
By highlighting the important role that engineers play in everyday life, and the creativity and diversity of work in this sector, Engineering Open House Day connects directly with children to inspire and motivate them towards exploring careers in engineering and technology. It also equips and encourages parents to support their kids in nurturing their curiosity.
Royal Observatory is one of 60 participating venues across the UK. The event will include a look at the Victorian telescope dome, a view of Edinburgh from the flat rooftop and engineering themed activities. Attendees will also learn how engineers build parts for space telescopes and have a go at an experiment to test some materials for themselves..
David Lakin, IET Head of Education said : “We are delighted to now be in the fifth year of Engineering Open House Day. Our research shows that engineering is an increasingly popular career aspiration for children, with a quarter (25%) of children saying they would be interested, a 3% rise since 2017. That said, this research demonstrates that there is still a long way to go in terms of parents feeling confident enough to guide their youngsters in the right direction.
“Engineering Open House Day provides an excellent springboard for children and parents alike to get to grips with the sheer scope of exciting careers encompassed in the field of engineering, and how to get there, first hand from some of the most innovative brands in the UK.”
The event at Royal Observatory will take place from 10am to 12noon on Wednesday 31 July 2019.
For more information and to view the full list of events taking place click here
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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