AN underwater robot building challenge has helped pupils engineer their thoughts towards careers in offshore technology.
Scientific students from Longfield Academy, Darlington, were given a hands on experience of engineering technologies surrounding the subsea industry at a Foundation for Jobs event hosted by Darlington College.
The Foundation for Jobs campaign is a joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment led by The Northern Echo and Darlington Borough Council in association with Darlington Partnership and private and public sector organisations. It works with industry to build closer links between businesses and young people.
Foundation for Jobs coordinator Owen McAteer said: “Here in the North East we have the highest youth unemployment rates in the country and yet we also have highly skilled industries that cannot recruit due to massive skills shortages.
“We need to try and address this shortfall by getting students interested in science, engineering and technology subjects and letting them know about the vast range of well paid carers available right here on their doorstep.
“Subsea engineering is a massive growth industry within the North East, with a number of world leading companies based in Darlington and The Tees Valley, offering excellent career opportunities for our young people interested in engineering.”
Alongside constructing their own underwater robots the students were also given a tour of Darlington College’s C-State facility developed with Engineering company Modus Seabed Intervention Ltd, Darlington.
The facility houses a £3 million fully functioning 200hp hydraulic remotely operated underwater vehicle used for drilling support and subsea construction services in a fully equipped workshop where trainees can learn to maintain components required for deepwater exploration and development projects.
Longfield science teacher Claire Graham said: “This event is a great opportunity for our students to broaden their horizons and raise their awareness of the job opportunities available to them in our local area.
“They really enjoyed the robot building exercise which challenged them to work in their teams but also showed them that science and engineering can be fun.”
Student Matthew Dixon, 14, of Darlington added: “Science isn’t usually my favourite subject but I’ve really enjoyed putting together the underwater robot today and testing it.”
