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We spotted Paul’s post on LinkedIn about his daughter Izzy attending our Girls into Engineering Course in August 2022:

“Super proud of my daughter Izzy. 3 days away problem solving, making new friends and experiencing new opportunities #girlsintoengineering The Smallpeice Trust Loughborough University sponsors Leonardo and GE Aviation #womeninengineering #stem.”

So, we got in touch to hear a parent’s perspective…

Girls into Engineering is for Year 8 and 9 students, and their daughter Izzy was in Year 8 with an August birthday, so one of the youngest at 12 years old. We spoke to Izzy’s Mum, Lee about their experience with the course.

Building independence

"The course was a great opportunity for Izzy to build her independence, staying away from home for three days. I did wake up the night before, concerned that my 12-year-old would be two hours away with a group of people she didn’t know, but I found it reassuring that she was going away with an established charity, and I could see from the programme that it was well structured, and she would be kept busy.

Izzy rang home from the course one night, and I heard a knock at her door. It was one of The Smallpeice Team checking she was in her room and ok. That made me feel much more relaxed as it brought home how well they were being looked after."

Providing careers inspiration

"My background is in the arts, while Izzy’s dad is an aerospace engineer. We thought this course would be a great opportunity for Izzy to see a wider range of engineering opportunities. Some of Izzy’s highlights were seeing the different careers on offer, with the talks from Leonardo and GE.

She enjoyed learning that senior people could have ‘squiggly careers’, starting off in a different area and moving onto a STEM path. There were great opportunities to talk to these senior people in an informal setting, during the day and over dinner."

Real world application

"The practical projects were also a highlight as Izzy got to work with kids like her on real world scenarios. She found this different to being in school, where often the applications don’t seem realistic. There was also a much bigger range of materials to work with.

Izzy sometimes finds that teamwork in school means one or two people doing much of the project. On the course, all the girls in her team were highly motivated and had different skillsets to bring to bear – Izzy focused on the more practical engineering side, while others were good at the coding."

A great experience

"We thought the course was good value for money and a great experience for Izzy. Now Izzy is back home, she’s already been drawing on her newly found independence, heading off on a school history trip to Belgium and France. It also has given her the chance to see the breadth of engineering careers on offer, which will help her make decisions as she gets older."

To find out more about Girls into Engineering 2023, click here.