Last month Notre Dame Roman Catholic School in Plymouth hosted their annual awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of pupils throughout the school year. It was attended by current pupils, teachers, parents and also a number of previous students.
In recognition of our commitment to the Plymouth Manufacturing Groups “Futureworks” initiative we were asked to sponsor the Innovation award on this occasion. The “Futureworks” scheme has been designed to address, and ultimately transform, pupils’ misconceptions that often surround science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) related industry careers.
Part of this endeavour was to establish “twinning” agreements between local companies and secondary schools, creating a “special relationship” between education and industry with the aim of demonstrating what manufacturing and engineering is REALLY all about in the 21st century. We were privileged to be twinned with Notre Dame School.
Our Marketing Manager, Grace Bull and CAD Manager, Ben Holmes attended the ceremony, presenting the award to student winner Jessica.
This pupil had shown tremendous determination and problem solving during GCSE project challenges and her attention to detail in her end design. She is also resolute in her ambition to pursue a career within the manufacturing industry.
“It was an honour to present the award to Jessica on behalf of Fiber Glass Systems, Jessica was genuinely speechless when her name was announced!”
Grace commented, she went on to say:
“As a previous Notre Dame pupil myself it was extremely reassuring to witness the schools continued dedication and modern, positive, approach to student development that I was lucky enough to experience. Congratulations Jessica and well deserved!”
Our notable milestones in connection with “Futureworks” so far have included;
- Teacher work experience– Abi Hunns, Notre Dame Design & Technology teacher, attended a week-long placement with Fiber Glass Systems. She joined staff across multiple departments for an eye-opening, hands-on experience of our manufacturing process, problem solving and design. This enabled her to share her experiences with her pupils and provide a factual, first-hand account of modern day manufacturing.
- Official Launch and pupil Lunch & Learn – On 23rdMarch 2016 the scheme was officially launched at our Plymouth facility by council Leader Tudor Evans. A Lunch & Learn event followed for 10 Notre Dame pupils, Abi Hunns and PMG Secretary Steve Gerry, including facility tour and refreshments – Jessica also attended this event!
- Award ceremony – Wednesday 14thDecember
