St Christopher's Sixth Form was abuzz with excitement on Saturday 20th January as over 60, Year 11 to 13 students from six local schools eagerly gathered for unique and innovative workshops hosted by Meducators UK. This is the second year of running the workshops, and this year we were excited to include an engineering pathway.
The workshops were split into medicine and engineering pathways, which the students had already signed up to, and promised to provide an enriching experience for them all especially as many of them are thinking of starting careers in these two exciting and important industries.
The day began with a welcome and introduction, before the students were split into their corresponding groups. Through two sessions they took part in five workshops in each pathway.
Those on the medical pathway learnt more about Medical Ethics, X-Ray Interpretation and Vital Signs, as well as getting an insight into what it means to work in medicine from experienced staff. One of the students taking part in the medicine pathway commented;
“I loved the instructor’s enthusiasm and passion for medicine. The way they explained everything was superb and I as a student was captivated by their fascinating and highly-engaging stories and life experiences. Their teaching and little activities had me hooked and just made me marvel at how amazing and beautiful the world of medicine truly is, further increasing my passion to becoming a doctor in the future.”
The engineering workshops which ran at the same time included practical sessions on Mechanical Engineering and Computer science, as well as an eye-opening afternoon session on potential engineering careers which smashed pre-conceptions and raised aspirations.
There were also four apprentices from Rolls Royce attending all day, who worked with the students, answering questions about their own career paths and future employment. This rare opportunity gave them a real insight into what was expected to make it in the industry.
Mrs Flanagan, Lead Teacher of the event said:
“I firmly believe that students in our local area should have these opportunities: to widen their horizons and to give them the confidence that they too can go for these careers. Such days can light up their imaginations and stoke their self-belief. I am very grateful to FoSC (Friends of St Christopher's) for their contribution to funding this event.”