Over 500 students from east London schools participated in London City Airport’s annual STEM in Aviation Day. This year’s event, held on 15 November at the ExCeL, gave students an insight into the current and future applications of the latest innovations in the aviation sector and aims to inspire them to choose Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects in school.
The theme of this year’s event was the ‘Future of Flight’, focusing on how new technologies and innovations can deliver future solutions for the aviation sector and help reduce carbon emissions.
London City Airport was joined at the event by a number of partner companies including Accenture, British Airways CityFlyer, Cirium, Embraer, GKN Aerospace, NATS and the University of East London (UEL) – who hosted presentations and interactive sessions with the students, showcasing the importance of STEM-based skills in the workplace and to the future of the sector.
The school groups also faced an aviation-themed STEM business challenge, where they were tasked with designing an airport of the future by using advanced technologies and more sustainable energy sources.
Eight finalists were selected and the winning group from St Paul’s Way in Tower Hamlets were highly successful in showcasing, in front of a panel of judges, how to design an airport of the future by using advanced technologies across infrastructure, operations and aircraft. They also had excellent presentation skills as a team.
The group were awarded vouchers, as well as a special airside tour of London City Airport. The runners up were George Green’s in Tower Hamlets who were also awarded a prize.
The UK Government has set out an ambition to become a ‘science and technology superpower’ by 2030. Encouraging more STEM skills in schools will help meet this goal and ensure the continued success of the aviation sector, which is one of the UK’s most successful industries, contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy and supporting over 200,000 jobs.
London City Airport was a successful recipient of the Department for Transport (DfT) and Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund, which has helped part-fund this year’s STEM in Aviation Day. The additional funding this year has enabled the airport to reach more local schools and develop toolkits for students, to help inspire the next generation of aviators.
Wilma Allan, Chief Financial Officer, London City Airport, said: “We’re proud to have hosted our seventh ‘STEM in Aviation Day’ for students across our local community in east London.
“This year’s event was our biggest to date, thanks to additional funding from the DfT and CAA’s Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund, which has helped us reach more local schools and develop toolkits for the students.”
