Inspiring the next generation of engineers with innovative solutions which make a difference

Education specialist STEM Venturi is offering a chance for youngsters to try their hand at 3D printing in February half term.

The five-hour 3D Design Course, spread out over the week, allows children to design and create a project around the theme of ‘something that will help someone’ with the course intended to help young people come up with their own solutions to real world problems. When the course has been run before projects included designing aids to support poorly relatives, bespoke kitchen tools or even an alert system to notify of medical emergencies.

Run from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd February the project marks National Engineers Week which is dedicated to increasing understanding and interest in engineering.

Holly Davies, a former engineer herself and founder of STEM Venturi, based in Hilton, South Derbyshire, said it was a great chance for kids to challenge themselves and try something new.

She said: “Problem solving is a key skill for young people no matter what they choose to do in the future. At STEM Venturi we want to see youngsters from all backgrounds given the opportunity and experiences to try a variety of different skills.

“You never know what will inspire and ignite a new talent they didn’t even know they had.

“We want youngsters to be able to experience and try a variety of different technologies. 3D printing is a great way to help young people see their ideas brought to life. This project will help youngsters to explore real world problems and discover solutions which could become the next big engineering find.”

In the UK it is estimated that there is a 200,000 shortfall in engineers and the industry is calling for more to be done to inspire young people to look at engineering as a future career.

3D printing is widely used in prototyping and problem solving for manufacturing as it allows concepts and designs to be turned into prototypes which can then be tested before using other mainstream manufacturing technologies. It is used in everything from designing parts for race cars to pharmaceuticals and prosthetics.

The 3D Printing course is designed to support youngsters aged 7 to 12 to try something new in the school holidays while introducing them to cutting edge technology and challenging their problem solving mindset.

Available from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd February there will be an hour of online learning each day with youngsters able to explore their ideas, showcase their plans and use 3D printers to create their final design.

Talking about why she created STEM Venturi former aerospace engineer Holly said: “I wish that something like this had been available to me when I was younger. As kids grow, they can lose their confidence to be creative as they are taught to follow rules in the classroom, at home and in clubs. If we are to inspire the next generation of engineers then we need to start offering more opportunities for kids to explore and try new skills, look at things in a different way and not be afraid to try and fail in finding solutions.

“I have always been fascinated by problem solving and how engineers go from a concept on paper to an actual working part.

“Most out of school activities are very much sports based, which is important, but I would like to see a greater emphasis placed on STEM activities for children as well.”

Children will be challenged to think of a problem someone in their lives face and then look at ways to solve that issue. They will be supported to design and make the product throughout the week.

It is not necessary to have a 3D printer to take part as the technology will be made accessible to anyone on the course so that they can learn how to use it and their finished product will be printed and sent out to them after the course.

The course costs £35 for the five days of learning and more information is available at Book Online - (stemventuri.org)