Skilled Gatwick workers help to inspire future female engineers in Sussex ... and America

Skilled workers at Gatwick Airport have helped to inspire future female engineers across Sussex - and New York.
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The airport staff hosted a virtual transatlantic ‘lab’ in collaboration with Engineering Tomorrow, an organisation which introduces secondary school students to various fields of engineering.

More than 70 girls – including pupils from Millais School in Horsham and Mount Saint Ursula in the Bronx – took part in the event which was the first of its kind for Engineering Tomorrow involving a UK school.

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The ‘lab’ gave students experience of designing, building and testing their own bridges, with support from expert engineers.

Millais students taking part in the engineering 'building bridges' experienceMillais students taking part in the engineering 'building bridges' experience
Millais students taking part in the engineering 'building bridges' experience

They were also able to learn how structures connect communities across the globe and investigate the impact of different materials and designs.

Students were guided through the lab by Gatwick engineers - apprentice Jiane Vane and baggage engineer Elliott Moreton - and Richa Singhal from Engineering Tomorrow.

Millais students Heather Surely and Millie Taylor-Brewin, said: “It was a real privilege to be able to take part in this transatlantic experience, to meet the engineers and the students from America and to share our attempts at building bridges.”

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Gatwick baggage engineer Elliott Moreton said: “It was great to see two groups of aspiring female engineers working together, learning and challenging themselves on opposite sides of the world while still sharing the same language and intellect of engineering.

“I hope that at Gatwick, we can carry on the international partnership in the near future and influence more aspiring young engineers.”

Millais School teacher Matthew Holmes said: “Our students were so excited about the workshop and loved working on the practical challenge of building the bridges. “The engineers presented valuable insights into engineering as a career and the content on structures and forces was directly relevant to the GCSE engineering syllabus.

“Many thanks to all involved in making this possible.”

Earlier this month, Gatwick welcomed former Millais School student Abi Davies onto its engineering apprenticeship scheme – one of two females among the four-person cohort for 2021.

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Gatwick has started a 12-week public consultation on its plan to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside its main runway. If it goes ahead, Gatwick officials say an extra 18,400 jobs would be created by 2038, including jobs in construction and engineering.