Thu, 24 October, 2019
The Welding Institute took the popular ‘Welding with Chocolate’ session to Great Sampford Primary School near Saffron Walden in Essex.
The innovative programme demonstrated welding and engineering principles in the classroom, by asking the children to create box girder bridges from chocolate and testing their strength as compared to a simple plank-style bridge made from a single bar of chocolate. Weights are then added to the bridges to test them to destruction, allowing the children to work out which type of construction is stronger, and why.
While the programme has been taken to schools and events around the country, this latest session had the added benefit of breaking down stereotypes as it was led by Industrial Membership Services’ Senior Project Leader Sarah McCarthy and Materials, Performance and Ferrous Alloys Technician Catherine Leahy, along with Apprentice Chemistry Technician Lewis Weekly.
Challenging the stereotype that engineers are just men in hard hats, the event showed that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) careers aren’t just for the boys.
You can see a special report from ITV News on the ‘Welding with Chocolate’ visit here.
