Experience Engineering with Group Projects
Engineering a Sustainable Future
University of Warwick Summer Work Experience - July
Students talking to their engineering mentor about their project design during the 2024 work experience week.
Our mission
WMG Outreach has the overall mission of inspiring the next generation of young engineers by sharing WMG and HVM Catapult research and teaching. We aim to do this by closing the skills gap for STEM industries by breaking down barriers for aspiring engineers. One issue that our team has identified is the availability of work experience placements for young people - which are particularly limited for students whose families are not already in STEM careers. This work experience programme has been designed in collaboration with the University of Warwick Widening Participation team to make work experience in higher education equitable and reduce the gap between the most advantaged and least advantaged students.
Why do we need a new model for work experience placements?
The Gatsby Charitable Trust (2014) stated that "every pupil should have first-hand experiences of the workplace... to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.", which we entirely agree with. However, where there are a limited number of placements, or students are expected to find their own placement through personal or familial networks, this disadvantages students who have no current links into STEM industries. This can only serve to entrench the status quo of who becomes an engineer in the UK.
Setting up work experience placements in universities can be challenging. The organisations are large, complex, and differ largely between departments - which can mean that the burden of getting an well-planned placement together is too heavy for an already burgeoning academic workload. Or, it could mean that placements are arranged quietly, discreetly, and perhaps haphazardly.
One of our engineering mentors at the project showcase in 2024 with a renewable energy demonstration built by students.
A student showing a design they had sketched for a robotic arm upgrade which was then drawn up in CAD and 3D printed ready for the next day.
What does this 'new approach' aim to achieve?
WMG Outreach set out to find a model that balanced the challenges for students, the challenges for academics, and the advantages of the university system.
- Working with the University of Warwick Widening Participation team - their expertise in recruiting and working with young people in disadvantaged areas is invaluable to working with the targeted audience we want to work with.
- Targeted recruitment - working with students who may not typically have access to placements in engineering.
- Reduced workload on academics - we feel it is important to keep the interaction with academics at the centre of the work experience placement, however, this must be done in a way that allows the academic to still maintain their existing workload. We design the timetable to allow staff to drop in and out.
- Large number of placements - instead of one or two placements here and there, spread across the year, we invite 30 students at a time to visit us during one week in July.
- Authentic engineering - the students work in groups on projects, just like our real engineers would, and present what they have made at the end of the week.
Feedback from our engineers
“...the students were able to work on different projects and in different teams which gives them a taste of what an engineering career would actually be like, as I have to collaborate with different people and teams myself.”
Hunaynah Abdulgafar, WMG
"Seeing the improvements in confidence and understanding of Engineering … was extremely motivating. I’m sure that the skills, knowledge and experiences gained by these pupils will be carried forward with them in the future."
Umair Paracha, WMG
Student ambassadors standing with a digital embroidery machine that had been used to manufacture products for the final showcase in 2024.
Further details about this year's event
Year Group: Year 10
Dates: Monday 7 July–Friday 11 July 2025
Timings: 9.00am –3.00pm (subject to change)
Location: University of Warwick campus CV4 7AL
Travel: This event is non-residential and students will need to travel to and from the University of Warwick each day.
Cost: This work experience opportunity is free of charge to all participants, including all materials needed and lunch/refreshments each day.
What is it?
The WMG Department in collaboration with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at the University of Warwick offer a unique summer opportunity for Year 10 students from the West Midlands looking to pursue a future in science and engineering.
This 5-day work experience in July allows students to gain hands on work experience of working directly on a variety of university research projects and provides insight into studying at a top university. The University of Warwick is an exciting place to study and work and the WMG department uses science, engineering, technology and maths to innovate and create products that will shape the future. Each group of students works on a different project, covering topics like self-driving cars, meta-materials, batteries for electric planes, digital devices for health, to cyber security, making materials more sustainable, and so much more. Our engineers share their expertise with the students by mentoring the projects over this 5-day project-based work experience.
What will studnets be doing?
This work experience model is based on groups of students working on a project over the course of the event. Each project will link to an area of WMG research.
Examples of projects that have run in the past are:
- Building a model solar cell that tracks the sun across the sky
- Building a model turbine for wind power generation
- Designing a model vehicle to overcome obstacles and terrain
- Automating battery manufacture
- Creating a model smart city
- Programming model vehicles to use sensors to drive like autonomous vehicles will in the future
We also work with industry experts in engineering, who are shaping the future that we will all live in. This creates a chance for young people to ask an expert how to get into engineering.
How can students sign up?
To apply for this opportunity, students must meet each of the following criteria:
- Currently a Year 10 student
- Interested in pursuing a career in science and engineering
- Agreement to attend from a parent/carer
- Support from your teacher
- Able to attend the five day programme at the University of Warwick
Students must also meet at least one of our Widening Participation criteria:
- In receipt of, or within the last six years has been eligible for, free school meals.
- Living, or has lived in, local authority care.
- Has caring responsibilities (young carer).
We are expecting a high number of applications for this event, therefore each application will be assessed and places offered based on both meeting the eligibility criteria and on the quality of the student’s personal statement.
