SBT2269 Careermag for Parents Issue 5 v2 FINAL | Page 35

BLOODHOUND EDUCATION
This is Rob - he’ll stop
you going to prison
It was, admits Rob Bennett, an “interesting”
introduction to project director and previous land
speed record holder Richard Noble, but an accurate
one. Part of sponsor liaison from another company,
Rob was taken on to work on the project’s health
and safety eight years ago.
Within a year, however, he says he was drawn into
the education side of the programme and has since
enjoyed “the most exciting thing he has ever done”.
With previous work in a band doing youth engagement
in schools, prisons and youth custody centres, Rob
quickly realised he wanted to spread Bloodhound’s
fascinating story in the same way.
“The Bloodhound story for me was not the car itself but
the idea of the car,” he says. “The idea that you could
take an amazing piece of cutting-edge technology,
state-of-the-art design, and tell that story to 10-year-olds
and engage and inspire them to make an emotional
connection to say ‘Yeah, I could do that. I could do more
than that’.”
Inspiring a generation to take up the engineering and
scientific challenges of the future has never been as
important as it is right now.
Through the life of this project Bloodhound has
partnered with industry and education to highlight
the routes into STEM careers. A degree is not the only
option and apprenticeships are being offered more and
more as a route which highlights the many options in a
sector which is in constant change.
Here’s just one young engineers story
At school in 2008, Jess Herbert was not interested in
engineering. “If you had told me in a few years’ time
you’ll be a proper engineer with all your qualifications,
I’d likely laugh at you,” she says – although that is exactly
what happened.
When asked, what is an engineer?
Rob replied, ”A curious problem solver.”
Bloodhound Education has a wealth of learning
resources, videos and a range of activities for families
to engage the young and the curious in the skills
needed for the future.
Visit www.bloodhoudeducation.com for more
information on this fascinating STEM education charity
things I wanted to do, like what happens if you stick it
up on end? What happens if you point it straight down?
Why can’t they do it in this way? All of these things that
I wanted to go and answer, I did.”
Following the visit, Jess contacted the team, who
supported her application for an apprenticeship with
her current employer. She became fully qualified
last year and is also an ambassador for the project,
spreading inspiration to more young pupils.
“The main message that we want to get across is that
engineering isn’t the stereotype you always think of,” she
says. “It’s not all oil and overalls. If that’s what you like,
then great… but there are still so many things you can do
and so many different things you can get involved with.
It’s this incredible space where you can push boundaries
and constantly try to do the next thing.”
After all, she says, if a 1,000mph car does not get you
excited, then what will?
Now a manufacturing engineer at Rolls-Royce, Jess can
trace her passion for the sector all the way back to the
start. The Bloodhound team visited her school, giving
presentations and speaking about the aims of the project.
“Something just clicked,” she says. “I just went ‘Wow,
this is really cool’. There were so many questions that I
wanted to investigate and get answered and so many
www.careermap.co.uk Issue 5 | 35