Promoted content: highlighting successes in addressing the skills shortage

And with raising awareness of STEM subjects being a key tactic in helping this cause, it’s something RS Components has been working on for a number of years – developing its own initiatives, and working with partners on existing initiatives, to maximise reach and engagement among schoolchildren. Inspiring them at a young age is key to bringing STEM subjects back to the fore and increasing the uptake.

Some of the most successful initiatives in recent times have included participation in the government’s Year of Engineering (YoE) campaign - which ran throughout 2018 – shining a spotlight on engineering and the vast array of career choices and options available in this area. With the aim of inspiring schoolchildren about a career in engineering, the initiative brought together education organisations and industry to work collaboratively in the quest to raise awareness of, and help tackle, a serious issue.

The RS Titan II truck was on hand at a YoE event held at Kings Cross, showcasing an array of technologies used in industry today – from 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, and IoT, through to Raspberry Pi, robotics and the RS’ DesignSpark platform. Since its launch in 2017, Titan II has welcomed more than 50,000 under 18’s on board, and has also been used as a vehicle to inspire and excite children about engineering both at workshops and events held by RS, and at exhibitions such as New Scientist Live, Big Bang (Sussex, Northamptonshire, Weston Super Mare) and the National Big Bang Young Scientists Fair, held annually at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Titan II also tours the UK and Ireland visiting colleges and universities, and hosting STEM days.