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Over the past academic year, SC Johnson and educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust, ignited a passion for engineering among young students. Thanks to a donation from SC Johnson, The Smallpeice Trust delivered five Sustainable Home STEM Days to 278 students, followed by a four-day virtual Engineering Experience course.

During the STEM Days, 13 and 14-year-old students were introduced to sustainable living by designing and building water collection prototypes. Working in small teams, students created rainwater harvesting systems for sustainable homes, gaining practical experience in circuits, soldering, electricity, structural design, and teamwork. This hands-on project fostered a deep understanding of sustainable development and water conservation, while also developing essential technical skills. The STEM Days yielded positive results, with 100% of students learning something new, 87% acquiring new skills, and 83% leaving with a greater appreciation for the engineering profession.

Building on their success, SC Johnson also supported a virtual Engineering Experience course in August 2024. This provided students with an in-depth exploration of disciplines such as cybersecurity, electrical engineering, and space engineering. From their homes, students worked on practical projects, gaining firsthand insight into the diverse pathways within the engineering field. The course covered three different areas of engineering: cybersecurity, electrical, and space engineering. Alongside hands-on activities, such as creating prototypes, students refined their problem-solving ability, a key skill for engineers.

The course kicked off with an icebreaker, followed by a challenge focused on Cyber Security, where students explored open-source intelligence, encryption, decryption, and social engineering, culminating in a safe-cracking exercise. On day two, students dived into Electrical Engineering by building circuits for a 'lunar rover', including motor circuits, solar-powered LED lights, and a chassis design. They applied creativity and followed the engineering cycle to ensure their designs could function in outer space. Day 3 involved refining their rovers and transitioning to coding activities using the Scratch platform, where they programmed mission tasks that further enhanced their problem-solving and engineering skills. On the final day, students completed their space missions and prepared presentations to showcase their work, reflecting on their learning experiences and achievements.

The virtual course had a significant impact: 91% of participants reported a heightened interest in engineering, 97% gained awareness of various engineering careers, and 88% said the course influenced their decision to further study engineering. In a testament to its success, 100% of participants would recommend the course to others.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank SC Johnson for your kind support of our charity’s educational programmes.