A YOUNG engineer gave school pupils a first-hand insight into the subsea industry by working with them to build their own deep-water robots.
Thomas Young, 19, a higher level apprentice at Darlington based Modus Seabed Intervention, helped lead sessions at the Foundation for Jobs Subsea Engineering Event for Schools.
The annual event, run in partnership with Modus and Darlington College, aims to demonstrate the opportunities that exist for young people in an industry that carries out much of its work using deep sea robots known as ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles).
More than 100 year nine and ten students from Darlington schools attended sessions held over three days during which they built and tested mini ROV kits designed by the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research to mimic the technology and science of the real robots.
As part of the activity students also visited the C-State Subsea Training Centre to see a £4m ROV and mock control room used to train the robot’s pilots and technicians.
C-State was established by Modus at Darlington College in 2014 to address potential impending skills gap in subsea, which is also set to affect the wider engineering sector.
This is despite subsea being a rapid growth sector worth £9bn a year to the UK economy, with more than 50 firms in the North East alone employing 15,000 people and with annual revenues of £1.5bn.
Modus managing director Jake Tompkins said: “Thomas is an example of how we as a company are committed to bringing bright and talented young people into the sector.
“Initiatives such as the subsea event for schools are pivotal in giving young people a greater understanding of the sector, inspiring them to consider a career in subsea and helping to inform their career decisions.”
Foundation for Jobs chairman Coun Chris McEwan said: “When we first mention the subsea sector to young people they are often unaware of what it is but once we mention they will be working with underwater robots their attention really picks up.
“That is a key aim of Foundation for Jobs to demonstrate to young people the exciting and high-tech jobs in industries based right here in Darlington and the North-East that are crying out for young talent but which the young people themselves are not considering either because they don’t understand them or haven’t heard of them.”
The national award-winning Foundation for Jobs is a joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment involving The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of private firms and public sector organisations, which has also enjoyed support from businesses and industrialists across the whole North-East region.
It has worked with 6,000 young people since it was launched in January 2012.
For further details contact owen.mcateer@darlington.gov.uk or go to www.foundationforjobs.co.uk