Posted 18 July 2025

Forty Year 10 learners recently attended Kirklees College’s annual Building Bridges into Engineering event, which gave them an opportunity to explore future career options in Engineering.

The event was delivered at the College’s £7.5 million Engineering Centre in Huddersfield. The state-of-the-art facility has equipment and workshops for CNC (computer numerical control) engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, mechanics, fabrication and welding, as well as student recreation and breakout areas. There is also a dedicated automotive workshop designed to replicate a real-life Motor Vehicle workshop.

It was organised by Go Higher West Yorkshire’s (GHWY) Uni Connect project in collaboration with the Engineering team at Kirklees College.

What the day involved

Now in its fourth consecutive year, Building Bridges into Engineering aims to raise awareness and aspirations for learners who may not have visualised engineering as a potential path available to them.

As a representative of GHWY, I opened the day with a keynote speech. This detailed the options available to the learners across the Higher Education (HE) sector and within the Engineering Industry as a whole. It also helped to facilitate conversations around a huge number of pathways and options available to the learners.

Josh Beverley, a HE lecturer, then followed up with a breakdown of what it’s like to study at Kirklees College. His highlights included:

• State of the art facilities
• Increased contact time with educators
• Employability opportunities
• Success of previous learners
• Financial benefits

The rest of the day included a series of interactive workshops. Topics including Material Testing, Computer Aided Design and a Practical Beam Analysis session. These were delivered by HE lecturers within the College and employed engaging, hands-on elements.

The event culminated in a bridge building competition, with groups of five learners working together to design and build a bridge that could hold more weight than any of their competitors. The knowledge shared throughout the day clearly had an impact as the winning team won with a staggering 3.5 pounds worth of weight!

Preliminary evaluation of the event

Preliminary evaluation of the day shows an increase in learner confidence around the options available to them within the HE sector, and an increased sense of belonging and desire about studying at HE. These findings match the outcomes set when planning the event.

Background to the event

West Yorkshire is full of fantastic institutions that can offer a huge amount to students both local and those that travel to study in our exciting region.

Within our HE sector, the option of studying in a Further Education (FE) College has never been more important. With many young people being increasingly cautious about the financial implications that can come with post-18 study, a local option in an environment they feel familiar in can be key. Despite this, many students are still not aware of all the options that are available to them.

With a tight curriculum and limited time for careers staff to cover all HE options, it is crucial that providers take the initiative to promote what is on offer. This can be through workshops, careers fairs, marketing, or bespoke campus visits such as Building Bridges into Engineering.

 

Jake Jackson, Kirklees College, GHWY Uni Connect Outreach Officer