Siemens Mobility launches STEM work experience programme for young people

Siemens Mobility has launched Tech Experience Launchpad, a next-generation work experience programme designed to inspire the engineers and innovators of tomorrow. Siemens Mobility said the programme (which combines digital learning with real-world, hands-on experiences) will create more than 3,300 opportunities every year, reaching 10,000 young people over three years and supporting the Government’s national mission to deliver an additional 200,000 work experience opportunities for 14–16-year-olds. Siemens Tech Experience Launchpad will give young people the opportunity to meet engineers, explore real-world challenges and discover how advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital technology are transforming Britain through experiences across its UK operations. The programme builds on Siemens’s £360 million investment in British rail manufacturing and technology, including up to £240 million in Goole, Yorkshire, and £100 million in Chippenham, alongside £20 million in UK research and development. The launch coincided with the official opening of Siemens’s new £100 million Rail Technology Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, attended by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. Prime Minister Andy Burnham joined pupils from 16 schools, including 30 children attending in person and over 1,000 more joining online, for a major national Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) lesson hosted by a BAFTA-winning children’s presenter Maddie Moate. Designed for 11–12-year-olds, the interactive lesson introduced pupils to the engineering and technology behind Britain’s railways through hands-on challenges, demonstrations and opportunities to meet apprentices and engineers from Siemens. The aim is to help children make the connection between the science they learn at school and the jobs in which those skills are used every day. With just 6.8% of Britain’s rail workforce aged 25 or under, according to the National Skills Academy for Rail, inspiring young people to consider careers in engineering and technology is increasingly important. Siemens already plays a leading role in developing skills across Britain’s rail industry through the National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR), which supports training across the sector. Together with its Education & Skills team, the company has trained or educated more than 28,000 people since opening in 2015. Siemens Mobility is also calling on its network of approximately 2,100 suppliers and wider rail industry partners to help create more work experience opportunities for young people across Britain. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Too many young people never get the chance to find out what kind of job they could excel at and enjoy as a career. We have to change that.” “That’s why I’m asking businesses to open their doors to give young people a proper first look at the world of work. “Siemens Mobility is doing exactly that, giving 10,000 young people hands-on experience of engineering and technology and inspiring thousands more through its national science lesson.” Rob Morris, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, said: “Britain’s railways are changing fast. From AI and digital technology to advanced manufacturing, we need a new generation of engineers and innovators to shape their future. “Our £360 million investment in Britain is about more than building world-class rail facilities. It’s about creating skilled jobs, developing talent and strengthening the industrial capabilities Britain needs for the future. “Through the Siemens Tech Experience Launchpad programme, we’re opening our doors to 10,000 young people, giving them meaningful, hands-on experiences and the chance to see the exciting careers available in engineering and technology. Because investing in Britain’s railways also means investing in the people who will build, maintain and transform them.” Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport said: “Siemens Mobility’s new rail t…