Events

General Dynamics UK promotes STEM at 2013 Big Bang Fair

Posted 14 March 2013

At this year's Big Bang: UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair - which opened today at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre - General Dynamics UK helped inspire students of all ages about the wealth of future career opportunities in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Above: The British Prime Minister David Cameron at the The Big Bang Fair 2013 today.
Courtesy The Big Bang 2013

Students visiting General Dynamics UK at The Big Bang Fair are learning firsthand about the intricacies of security at major ports around the world through an activity designed by graduates at the Company, as part of their Graduate Development Scheme.

Working in pairs, students can control a realistic port operating system - based upon the system General Dynamics UK installed at the world-leading Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone in Abu Dhabi - and guide a ship through the port to its dock; but for the ship to move students must complete a series of puzzles based upon STEM subjects. All this is set against the clock, and students need to work together to get their ship to its dock in the quickest time possible to achieve the highest score.

General Dynamics UK’s Graduate Development Scheme was established in 2007, and the Company has recruited nearly 90 graduates in that time. Graduates on the Scheme are given placements across the Company that provide hands-on experience and learning from day-one, and are supported throughout to ensure each reaches their potential. The Company has excellent links with universities local to its facilities, including Cardiff and Glamorgan, and many of its graduate-level employees come from those institutions.

Rob Haley, a second year graduate at General Dynamics UK and one of the activity designers said: “I joined the General Dynamics UK Graduate Development Scheme in 2011, and have had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles, including hardware design. The Scheme has provided me with the knowledge I needed to succeed as an engineer, and given me the opportunity to use the skills I have learned to help design and develop the Company’s activity at Big Bang. Graduate Development Schemes, such as General Dynamics UK’s, are vital in supporting young talented engineers to develop the skills they need to succeed.”

This year’s Big Bang Fair, at which over 60,000 people are expected to attend, takes place during National Apprenticeship Week 2013, which is a week designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the economy.

General Dynamics UK is currently recruiting for its 2013 Engineering Apprenticeship Programme.

The four-year Programme, the first undertaken by the Company, will see apprentices train to become fully-qualified Engineering Technicians, based at our South Wales facilities.

“This Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme is a marker of how serious General Dynamics UK takes its responsibility to help develop young engineering talent in the UK. Alongside those participating in our Graduate Development Scheme, our apprentices will learn the skills necessary to become the leading engineers of the future, delivering the solutions our customers require from right here in the UK” said Neil Taylor, director of engineering and governance at General Dynamics UK.

“Events such as The Big Bang Fair inspire students in STEM subjects, and we hope that many of those who attend will go on to pursue careers in engineering.”

Applications for General Dynamics UK’s Engineering Apprenticeship Programme will close on 17 March 2013.

For further details on the Programme and information on the benefits package, visit www.generaldynamics.uk.com and click on the link to the Apprenticeship Scheme.