Year 12 Product Design students were inspired by a day trip which took in the Advanced Engineering 2022 exhibition and a visit to Silverstone.
During the exhibition at Birmingham’s NEC, the boys networked with engineering professionals and gained insights into university and career opportunities in engineering.
Further inspiration came from the visit to the Silverstone Interactive Museum, where the group learned about the role of the leading motorsport venue in developing automotive technology over the past six decades.
Head of Technology Michael Noonan said: “Our students were blown away by the level of engineering covered by the exhibition in areas including automation, composites, 3D printing, CNC machining, materials engineering and aeronautical engineering.”
The day started early, as the group set off for Birmingham amid torrential rain.
At the 14th Advanced Engineering exhibition, billed as the “must-attend event for the entire engineering and manufacturing supply chain”, the boys seized the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of representatives of “brilliant companies”, Mr Noonan said.
Among the many people they spoke to during their visit to the exhibition was Laura Crawford, editorial director of Machinery & Manufacturing magazine (pictured top), as well as delegates from:
KoverTek – a UK composites distributor and coatings manufacturer- Royal Aeronautical Society, a professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community and the world’s oldest aeronautical society
- Instron, US industrial machinery manufacturers
- Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, a Surrey-based company specialising in digital reality, “which helps improve manufacturers quality and productivity by making their factories smarter”.
They then rounded the trip off with the visit to Silverstone, near Northampton.
“Our pupils loved learning about the key role Silverstone played in World War II, the development of motorsport into the modern era and the technological developments which have brought Formula 1 and automotive technology to where it is today.
“A final sunset walk watching Formula Ford practice laps was another highlight of a brilliant day!” said Mr Noonan.
He added that he looked forward to continuing discussions that took place on the day, as QE seeks opportunities for mentoring and partnership for its engineering students.