Global engineering technologies company Renishaw officially launched its Fabrication Development Centre (FDC) on March 28th at its Miskin facility. Renishaw also launched its education partnership with BLOODHOUND SSC. To celebrate this, Andy Green OBE, current holder of the World Land Speed Record and BLOODHOUND SSC driver, opened the facility.

MediWales reports the FDC is a unique educational resource for hands on learning. It aims to inspire young people and to encourage a pipeline of talent into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers. Schools or groups of young people can use the facility for free for lessons or workshops. The FDC contains two classrooms, staffed by a qualified teacher and Renishaw’s STEM ambassadors. It is equipped with state of the art equipment, including 3D printers.

Simon Biggs, Education Outreach Officer at Renishaw, said “With companies already struggling to recruit skilled candidates, it is important to get more young people interested in STEM subjects at GCSE and A-Level. Creating engaging educational experiences for pupils at a young age can be essential to their selection of the subject at degree or apprenticeship level. The Fabrication Development Centre not only gives pupils a chance to escape the classroom, but it also enables them to grasp the link between the school curriculum and industry. They can take part in motivating workshops that complement the exam specification and give them a better understanding of the career opportunities available to them in the future.”

Large numbers of young people have already experienced success from using the facility, including students at Radyr Comprehensive. After using the FDC for just a few months, the school noticed increased motivation among the pupils. Radyr Comprehensive School now plans to extend its use of the facility across the three years of its GCSE programme to increase the interest and uptake of design subjects.

Schools in South Wales and the Bristol and Gloucestershire areas can access an online booking form from the education outreach section of Renishaw’s website. Here, schools, pupils and teachers can also find more information on Renishaw’s work with young people and engineering careers advice.