15 October 2009 09:45
E.ON tours schools in Nottingham to ignite careers and combat engineering skills shortage

Leading energy company E.ON has been touring schools in Nottingham with its plugin2engineering programme to attract and inspire the UK's engineers of the future. 

The tour gives students the opportunity to meet real engineers and bring their lessons to life, with trained workshop leaders, accompanied by employee volunteers from E.ON, visiting schools to deliver a workshop of hands-on, engineering related activities.

Billie Holland, Community Relations Executive for E.ON, said: "We're keen to provide information and support in the arena of education in such a way that really engages young people and captures their imagination.

"We offer as much support as we can for teachers too, including course notes, links into the curriculum and support material, with teachers benefiting from plugin2engineering as well as other support we offer.

"We're delighted to say that plugin2engineering is opening up children's eyes to the world of engineering. By offering these valuable learning tools it's our hope that not only will we offer something for those already interested in a career in engineering, but we'll also ignite a fresh interest in the industry by involving young people in a practical and interactive way."

The plugin2engineering programme has been designed to encourage schoolchildren to become tomorrow's engineers as the country looks for the new talent that can build and maintain the power stations, overhead wires and underground cables that will keep the country's lights on for a generation.

The tour is supported by a state of the art web resource which can be used by teachers in the classroom.

This resource has been specially designed for children aged between 11 and 16, and it also offers strong links with the Key Stage 3 curriculum, GCSE Science and the new Engineering Diploma.

Dave Laughlin, a Science Teacher at John Flamsteed Community School in Denby, said, "The hands-on practical activities offered the students an opportunity to experience real life situations in the field of electrical engineering. 

"They were also able to apply previously gained knowledge in science to real life situations.  All students involved enjoyed the experience of working with the E.ON staff."

In the online Plugin2engineering programme, students enter the virtual world of Electronica, the world's largest artificial island. They take on the role of Project Manager, setting up the island's power infrastructure in time for the opening ceremony of the Electronica Games. The game lets schoolchildren:

• Tour the island, meeting people working in real-life jobs related to the energy network;
• Respond to virtual phone calls and emails from the engineers they met on tour; 
• Undertake a series of fun, interesting challenges that offer an opportunity to put their scientific knowledge to the test and offer an insight into various engineering careers;
• Complete a test to gain full Project Manager status; and
• Make the network ‘live', going back and resolving any problems to ensure that vital energy supplies reach homes, schools and businesses - and the Electronica Island stadium.

More information on plugin2engineering can be found at:

http://eon-uk.com/plugin2engineering.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Keen to engage schools and support education across the board, E.ON also runs other initiatives, designed to offer valuable learning opportunities and to teach children about engineering. The Energy Experience, which involves trained E.ON volunteers engaging children in energy on a practical level, has been a success with young people across the UK and is a resource which helps teach 5- to 16-year-olds about energy. To find out more or request a classroom pack or volunteer lesson, visit: www.eon-uk.com/energyexperience
• As part of E.ON's overall approach to addressing the skills gap in the engineering industry E.ON has also launched the Engineering Academy. The training centre has been designed to overcome the skills shortage within the power and engineering industry to deliver the workforce needed to keep the country's lights on and homes warm for years to come. Based in Tipton, West Midlands, and at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire, the academy supports 220 E.ON Apprentices and education programmes to 288 young people from other local and national organisations.

• E.ON is one of the UK's leading power and gas companies - generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas - and is part of the E.ON group, one of the world's largest investor-owned power and gas companies. We employ around 17,000 people in the UK and over 92,000 worldwide;
• We're one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 20 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. We also burn biomass material mixed with coal in two of our power stations and have completed one of the UK's largest dedicated biomass power stations at Lockerbie. Combined, our renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester.

For more information contact:

Deanna Mooney on 024 7618 3678