A new schools engagement program targeting primary school students in Melbourne’s west is helping inspire Australia’s next generation of engineers.
The West Gate Kids school engagement program is run by the West Gate Tunnel Project and drives the promotion of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects, which is traditionally referred to as STEM, but includes the arts.
Launched in April 2019, the program aims to show students from 10 to 14 years of age what projects such as the West Gate Tunnel ‒ one of the largest transport infrastructure projects in Victoria’s history ‒ means for their future.
By providing hands-on experiments in a fun environment, the program not only encourages school students’ interest in subjects like science, technology, arts and maths, but also provides a much-needed platform for the younger generation to be informed, involved and inspired about how transport systems work
West Gate Kids aims to support young people from diverse backgrounds and has reached an estimated 1,000 students at 15 primary and secondary schools in Melbourne’s west.
The initiative in conjunction with local provider SciencePlay Kids links directly to the school curriculum and promotes subjects with a key focus on civil engineering and transport infrastructure including tunnels, bridges, roads and bike paths.
Ngoc Du, Grade 5 and 6 teacher at Footscray North Primary School was pleased the sessions ‘Engineering Our City’ allows young kids to develop creative and critical thinking skills. “Seeing it in a real way and seeing how it affects their lives, it will help them remember the concepts and share it with other kids and their parents”.
Students in the program have the pleasure of learning the content from Dr Lorien Parker aka ‘Dr Loz’ who was named in 2018 as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence in the Australian Financial Review.