Electrical expert helps fund the future
REO UK has donated electronic equipment to the design and technology department at Ludlow School in Shropshire. The donation will help support an electronics project for year 9 design and technology students at the school, which the company believes will help more young people to develop an interest in technical subjects such as engineering.
REO UK, which is headquartered in Craven Arms, Shropshire, provides specialist power quality components for industries such as medical, rail, manufacturing and electric vehicles. Many members of the REO UK team attended Ludlow School previously, so the company is committed to supporting the school’s technology department.
The company donated several colours changing USB lamp kits, which allow students to learn the basics of coding, soldering and project design through independent learning. These technical skills help form the foundation of the skills required for engineering disciplines, presenting more young people with the opportunity to learn more technical subjects.
“Engineering is one of the most diverse and rewarding career areas in the modern world,” explained Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK. “However, the UK has been experiencing an engineering skills gap for several years, with too few trained engineering students graduating each year.
“Alongside this, we’ve sadly experienced tightening budgets for many public schools throughout the country. This poses a threat to the quality of engineering education students receive. More engineering companies like REO UK must support educational institutions in delivering this quality training, whether it’s by teaching students or donating supplies, so more students can find an interest in the sector.”
According to Engineering UK’s 2018 state of the engineering report, there is an annual shortfall of 59,000 engineering graduates. To meet the growing demand, the report highlights a need for 203,000 people with engineering skills each year. The report also notes that the country needs to improve awareness of engineering and routes into the profession among young people.
A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that funding per child in England’s schools has decreased by eight per cent between 2010 and 2018. Technical subjects have been among the hardest hit by the stricter budgets on local authorities and schools.
“The current climate in education funding has meant that budgets are tightening every year and practical subjects usually feel it more than most,” explained Eleanor Wild, design and technology teacher at Ludlow School.
“Part of this is an unintended consequence of the UK Government’s focus on the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which is a combination of subjects such as English, maths and sciences that it believes is important for GCSE students. This means that these subject areas do take precedent over other subjects, like design and technology, and the teaching experience for students is impacted as a result.
“Working with companies like REO UK alleviates these problems significantly, as it gives young people access to resources and connections they would otherwise lack. The support from industry leaders helps young people develop, but in a mutually beneficial way as it can help spark an interest that could ultimately lead the student to work with the company, as we’ve seen with members of the REO UK team.”
REO UK’s specialist electrical components are used by design and electrical engineers to ensure their systems operate reliably and efficiently while preventing electrical distortions such as harmonic currents that can damage equipment. The company is actively involved in growing industries such as renewables and electric vehicles, so it has a strong interest in the future of engineering.
To find out about the range of specialist components available call us today on +44 (0) 1588 673 411.
