Aspiring engineers showcase projects at annual HSDC event

Budding engineers from HSDC recently participated in their prestigious event which gave students the unique opportunity to showcase their project designs to a range of top employers.

The event which takes place annually at their South Downs campus, was attended by more than 70 local employers and around 100 enthusiastic students.

Students were given the chance to showcase 26 weeks of hard work in the form of their innovative projects to a range of employers, whilst additionally having the opportunity to network. Many of the students in attendance hope to pursue a career within the engineering industry in the future and therefore this event presented the perfect opportunity to meet industry professionals and impress them with their exciting creations.

Some students in attendance were seeking Apprenticeship opportunities on the day, however, some other students are current Apprentices who were showcasing their projects to their employers and other businesses within the engineering field.

During the day, students presented a broad range of projects ranging from an off-road electric scooter, a training shoe dryer and a quadcopter to an alternative boat trailer wheel which impressed all in attendance.

Engineering Manufacturing Technician Level 4 student Jamie Maskens, who is also working at Ricardo stated “I am really enjoying Engineering Project Day as it is always good to present a project whilst having an end goal to work towards. It gives me a great sense of pride to share my project and it also gives me the opportunity to show others what I can do. It has also given me a better understanding of the industry whilst also giving me an insight into others in the same field too.”

Level 3 student Danny Newell added “Engineering Project Day has been great because it has allowed me to get used to presenting and people asking questions. I hope to get more experience in the engineering field and am hoping to secure an electrical Apprenticeship and am hoping today will help with the search. I am looking forward to gaining experience and knowledge whilst making connections and building my portfolio.”

Level 3 student Oliver Green said “It has been great to see some first-year students visit the projects as well as lots of different companies. It has also been great to have suggestions and inputs from employers on new ways of working which I find really beneficial. This has helped give me more ideas and suggested improvements. I am looking for an Apprenticeship, hopefully in the marine mechanical sector.”

Level 3 student Evan Taylor said “I really enjoyed creating my project for Engineering Project Day. I bought a guitar from Facebook marketplace to transform and it has been great to be able to present this. It has also been great speaking with a range of employers. I am hoping to have potential Apprenticeship offers from today as I hope to take the aeronautical route in the future.”

Assistant Principal for Business, Employment, and Skills, Aaron Butson added “Engineering Project Day is a really great opportunity to see the connection between future engineers and current employers with the opportunity for many of our students to find potential employment”.

Assistant Principal Vocational Curriculum, Ashley Grute added “It is great to see so many key employers from the region attend this event today and it is one of my favourite days of the year! Engineering Project Day is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their talent to employers and many of them come away from the day having secured employment or an apprenticeship. I love seeing the innovative projects and products that our students have created and how proud they are when they present what they have achieved!”

If you are interested in studying an engineering based course with HSDC, visit their course finder at www.hsdc.ac.uk for more.