Georgina gets some feet on experience

Kingsley has produced many engineers over the years so we were delighted to receive an invitation to attend the first Women in Engineering event run by E.ON at their training centre in Tipton on 22 February 08. (E.ON is the UK power and gas company formerly known as Powergen)

Head of Physics and Astronomy Mrs Janet Hilton took four Year 10 girls to the event: Alisha Patel, Ifeyinwa Nwachukwu, Rachel Pierpoint and Georgina Coles. They were a little apprehensive as they had no idea what to expect, but all agreed afterwards that it had been a fantastic day.

In the morning a young female engineer spoke about her role in restoring electricity to homes. Other female engineers were available to discuss apprenticeships and graduate entry. The girls then learned how to wire a mains fuse box, operate switching gear and replace fuses in a substation.

Alisha in the cherry picker

The highlight of the day was the afternoon’s outdoor activities. Fully kitted up, the girls were given a chance to climb a pole using spikes. Georgie was disappointed not to be allowed to climb to the top but a few feet up was enough for the others!