Potential careers for women in engineering and plumbing have been explored by students at King’s Lynn Academy (KLA) during a visit to the town’s College of West Anglia.The college invited 28 students in Years 8 and 9 to a taster day in the technology department in engineering and plumbing subjects to illustrate what it is like working in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) to inspire their future aspirations.The group was divided into two, half of the day was spent in the plumbing department constructing and fabricating copper hearts, and the other half of the day was spent in the engineering workshop, designing and welding a frog out of old horseshoes.

Livvi Hodges, plumbing lecturer at the college, said: “We set out with the aim of giving young girls a taste of what it is like to experience plumbing and engineering. The girls were a credit to their school. They were very enthusiastic and engaged throughout the day and hopefully it has opened their eyes to being a female in the construction or engineering industry.”Katie Leeming-Watts, careers lead and PE teacher at KLA, added: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for KLA students to experience STEM in action. These kinds of events help to break down traditional stereotypes of the industry. Today, students tried something new and have found abilities they didn’t know they had.”Thea Osbourne, Lili-Mae Thorburn-Woodhouse and Ellie Woods from KLA’s Year 8 said: “It was very interesting, we all had a lot of fun and experienced something really exciting. The lecturers were really supportive and reassuring as we were doing things we have never done before. We even got some things to take home and show our parents, so they can see what we’ve been up to.”

Potential careers for women in engineering and plumbing have been explored by students at King’s Lynn Academy (KLA) during a visit to the town’s College of West Anglia.The college invited 28 students in Years 8 and 9 to a taster day in the technology department in engineering and plumbing subjects to illustrate what it is like working in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) to inspire their future aspirations.The group was divided into two, half of the day was spent in the plumbing department constructing and fabricating copper hearts, and the other half of the day was spent in the engineering workshop, designing and welding a frog out of old horseshoes.

Livvi Hodges, plumbing lecturer at the college, said: “We set out with the aim of giving young girls a taste of what it is like to experience plumbing and engineering. The girls were a credit to their school. They were very enthusiastic and engaged throughout the day and hopefully it has opened their eyes to being a female in the construction or engineering industry.”Katie Leeming-Watts, careers lead and PE teacher at KLA, added: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for KLA students to experience STEM in action. These kinds of events help to break down traditional stereotypes of the industry. Today, students tried something new and have found abilities they didn’t know they had.”Thea Osbourne, Lili-Mae Thorburn-Woodhouse and Ellie Woods from KLA’s Year 8 said: “It was very interesting, we all had a lot of fun and experienced something really exciting. The lecturers were really supportive and reassuring as we were doing things we have never done before. We even got some things to take home and show our parents, so they can see what we’ve been up to.”