This, along with an aging workforce within engineering and NDT specifically***, means that it is vital to inspire the younger generation and encourage students to maintain the option of a career in engineering.

NDT plays a crucial role in everyday life, yet many people, particularly the younger generation, have not heard of, or know little about it.  Lavender International are always looking for ways to inspire and engage the younger generation, highlight the importance of our industry and promote NDT as a potential career option.

We have been working with UTC Sheffield for several years now, providing training to Engineering students and providing support at career events.

In October, Lavender employees Andy, Sue and Amy visited UTC Sheffield to conduct NDT training sessions for 64 Year 11 students.  Our Level 3 Tutor Andy gave the students a whistle stop tour of Magnetic Testing, Ultrasonic Testing and Penetrant Testing, before they were let loose to get stuck in and have a go at the different testing methods themselves.

The students engaged well, picking up the information quickly whilst asking questions, allowing them to complete the different tests successfully.  They seemed to enjoy the hands-on experience – a female engineering student commented that the training was

“very interesting and different to what we have done before”

Not only did the training help the students to complete their coursework, whereby they had to test a component to identify any defects and provide evidence of doing so; it also shed light on and allowed students the opportunity to have a go at a potentially new career avenue, which many were not aware of before.

As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our time helping the students at UTC whilst promoting the NDT industry and we look forward to the next visit!

* http://www.engineeringuk.com/Research/At-a-glance-2016/ ** http://www.engineeringuk.com/Research/At-a-glance-2016/ 
*** 42% aged 55+ (BINDT Survey 2016)