Technology and Engineering

After many months of testing, the winners of the National Science and Engineering Competition have been declared. The Young Engineer of the Year was revealed as Shawn Brown in recognition of his Solar Bike, a bamboo framed electric trike. The Young Scientist of the Year was revealed as Thomas Hearing for his project in mapping Monmouth beach and the eroding ammonite pavement.

If you enjoy understanding how things work, solving problems or being creative then there is almost certainly an exciting and rewarding career that you could follow within the vast area of engineering. Unfortunately, far too many talented people ignore the huge range of opportunities available because they have a very narrow view of what engineering is all about. Don’t fall into that trap!

The New Diploma in engineering is proving to be a new, innovative and pioneering qualification for Young people which is set to be fully rolled out across the UK by 2013 amidst claims that it is at last ‘bringing engineering to life.’

Before you read this article put the magazine down for a minute and take a look around you. Really take a good look.  What do you see? 

Have you seen the ‘Science and Maths – see where they can take you’ ad on TV or in the cinema? Its brilliant and you can check it out by searching ‘science and maths advert’ on Youtube. At the associated website www.scienceandmaths.net there are more examples of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and profiles of real people doing those jobs. Rest assured that it is quite normal for you not to know your exact career plan while you are still at school.

There can be no doubt that the world is facing testing times and you would be forgiven for wondering how on earth a 1000mph car could possibly help us meet these challenges?  Wouldn’t the time, effort and resources going into achieving this ‘meaningless’ target be better deployed doing, well, practically anything else?

Lisa Lilley is Shell’s Technology Manager for Ferrari. Based between the Shell Global Solutions technical laboratory in Chester, UK, and Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva in Maranello, Lisa oversees the Shell Technical Partnership with Ferrari, covering Formula One, Ferrari Road Car and the Ferrari Challenge Series. Lisa will be attending the majority of races in 2008.

Where should you go for world-class apprenticeships?  The answer is BMW – with an award-winning training course it’s the perfect way to start a career in the automotive industry

St Saviour’s & St Olave’s Girls School became a member of the London Engineering Project (LEP) back in April 2007. Since then the school has run a very successful after school Young Engineers Club with regular weekly meetings and its members have been involved in virtually every event that has been available.

This is by far the most important question. If the answer is yes, then Architecture could be the career for you - so keep reading! Most successful architects are highly passionate about the built environment. If your interest in buildings is merely a vague one, you may find that seven years of intense training will be enough to kill your enthusiasm.