Hundreds of young pupils at a Tees Valley school have been getting an insight into engineering from experts at a North East renewable energy firm.
OnPath Energy engineers Leah Pearson and Hannah Bartram visited St Bede’s Catholic Academy in Stockon to speak about their work as part of this year’s International Women in Engineering Day, which celebrates the work of women engineers all across the world.
Leah and Hannah talked to around 200 girls and boys aged between five and 11 years old about what engineering involves, as well as their own careers and experiences in the industry, before giving them the chance to get hands on by making their own paper windmills.
Leah Pearson, an electrical engineer at OnPath Energy says: “Fewer than one in six engineers in the UK are women, so we wanted to use International Women in Engineering Day to celebrate the amazing work that female engineers are already doing and to encourage more North East girls, as well as boys, to think about the future STEM careers that are open to them.”
Headquartered in Sunderland, OnPath Energy is one of the UK onshore renewable energy sector’s leading owner/operators and has two onshore wind farms close to the school – the Lambs Hill Wind Farm near Stockton and the Moor House Wind Farm near Darlington.
The two wind farms generated over 56,000 MWh of electricity between them during 2024, which is enough to meet the average annual electricity needs of more than 19,300 homes.
As part of the company’s OnPath Together value-led approach, the two wind farms also delivered combined revenues of more than £51,000 last year to their respective community benefits funds, which provide financial support for projects being undertaken by groups and good causes in their surrounding communities.
International Women in Engineering Day is designed to highlight the work done by female engineers around the world in an industry where women are still hugely under-represented and to inspire the next generation, especially girls, to work in the STEM industries.
Leah Pearson adds: “Hannah and I work on with some fantastic renewable energy technologies that are making a real contribution towards addressing the UK’s future energy needs, and with new technologies coming forward all the time in every part of the STEM sectors, there have never been more opportunities for young people to shape their own future by choosing a similar career path.
“We had an amazing reception from everyone at St Bede’s, with lots of interesting and insightful questions coming from the children, and we’d love to think that some of the pupils we spoke to, especially the girls, will be among the engineers of the future.”
Bernadette Rizzi-Allen, headteacher at St Bede’s Academy, says: “Our children are taught to be aspirational, that they can change the world and do so many positive things.
“Within the school, we’re constantly trying to break down misconceptions and stereotypes that could be barriers to achievement, so having wonderful female engineers here to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day has been empowering for the girls and boys.
“It’s helped open their eyes a little bit wider. As we always say to our children, have your hearts in Stockton and your eyes on the world.”
For further information on International Women in Engineering Day and careers in engineering, visit https://www.inwed.org.uk/