We were very proud to act as the host for the Schools’ Aerospace Careers Programme Roadshow last term. The Schools’ Aerospace Careers Programme is a charity, which aims to support young people in the UK in accessing careers in the aerospace industry. Sixty pupils from Wilson’s joined students and staff from other local schools in the John Jenkins Hall on the 27th March for an exciting programme of events. Advik and Sanjiv (both Year 11) report on their exciting day below.

Last term, we aspiring engineers at Wilson’s School had the opportunity to attend The Schools’ Aerospace programme, aiming to encourage the interests of students in technology and particularly provide us with career advice, connecting us with the employers in the aerospace industry. The event consisted of two fascinating halves. In the morning, we received an interactive presentation on the fourth industrial revolution. The presentation featured a variety of topics, ranging from the future of Quantum computers to 3D printing, focussing on the stark change the entire technological industry will come to experience in coming years, in particular the aerospace industry. The highlights were a robot dog called Spot from Boston Dynamics and our very own Dev (Year 12) in a whopping £13, 000 spacesuit! In the afternoon, we enjoyed 4 different stalls in the breakout session, two of which allowed us to visually experience how the titans of the aerospace industry harnessed the new technology of this rapid industrial revolution.

The morning started off with a crowd of students sitting in the JJ hall from a variety of local schools. The buzz of excitement was hushed by a dramatic video which detailed the aerospace industry and projects in and out of our atmosphere, notably the Artemis 2 mission to the moon led by NASA. The video also focussed on the impact of the rapid change of technology through the term the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. This introduction to the exciting awaiting day was followed by the morning’s main event - the interactive presentation! The seed of the fourth industrial revolution was planted in our minds through the video and only grew throughout the presentation delivered fabulously by the chairman of the ACP, Dr Micheal Smith.

Throughout the article so far I have mentioned the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ multiple times, but what exactly is it? In Dr Micheal Smith’s words, it is the exponential physical, digital and biological development, outlined in eight significant fields, including “Big Data Analysis”, 3D printing and Quantum Computers.

The section on Big Data Analysis was really more of an eye opener for how our personal use of technology is constantly being collected, processed and used to, for example, uncover trends or patterns to make more informed decisions. This industry is growing by the day with a mind blowing 2.3 quintillion bytes of data being produced and stored every day! Everything from our emails to social media is being stored, with one email ending up at 31 unwanted locations. Dr Micheal put this fiercely into one line quoting, ’Big brother is watching you’.This part of the presentation again showed us more career fields for the future, as with this accumulating amount of data more can be done. For example, real time Big Data Analysis can be performed, possibly changing the front of many industries, by analysing situations in the present such as change in customer demand. Hence again, a very promising industry fit for bright minds.

The section on 3D printing showed a whole different method of manufacturing which is starting to be used. We went through an explanation on additive and subtractive manufacturing, gaining insights on the benefit of using additive manufacturing. Additive refers to adding layers of material to create an object, wasting only an amazing 6% of material whereas subtractive is removing material to form an object, wasting 80%! This transformation is completely changing industries from aerospace to transportation. Notably, components in commercial and military helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopters are currently being made through additive manufacturing. The scope in this field is massive as well as having a widespread impact on many industries, making it an interesting field of work.

Quantum Computers look likely to replace classical computers used today. Quantum computers as described will run many times faster than the computers in use today and will be more powerful. But why exactly will they? Because, unlike a classical bit in a normal modern computer, which can be either 1 or 0, a qubit in quantum computers can be in the state of 1, 0 or 1 and 0 at the same time, meaning that they can solve multiple calculations at once and more efficiently. Google managed to solve a problem in 200s that would otherwise take 10,000 years! Dr Michael Smith put this brilliantly into the analogy of the ‘Cat in the box’ experiment also known as Schrödinger's Cat. If you seal a cat into a box with something that may kill it, you wouldn’t know if the cat is dead or not until you open the box. Hence you will assume that it is simultaneously dead and alive. Though briefly explained, we should note the significance of this field as if this technology is made cheaper, accessible and harnessed fully it can change this entire industry, a perfect example of the fourth industrial revolution and the scope of careers in this field.

I have only explained a few fields talked about during the presentation – many more were covered, such as nanotechnology. All of these fields hold an interesting future, forming the fourth industrial revolution, which will no doubt be fit for the bright young minds at Wilson’s. For those whose interest was sparked there will no doubt be more opportunities like this in the future and there are a few links attached below for more information on Atkins Reallis, who are innovators and engineering pioneers of the fourth industrial revolution.
Advik, Year 11

In the afternoon we were able to experience 4 different stalls during our breakout session, all of which had equal merit. In one of these, we had the privilege to receive a presentation by Vincent from Atkins Realis, a consultancy firm which provides engineering solutions to a multitude of problems. With notable projects, such as ‘the Line’ in the middle east and the government commissioned A400M military transport aircraft, Atkins is a large company which requires the bright engineers of tomorrow, the bright minds of Wilson’s. Atkins had many opportunities for student work, such as their degree apprenticeship program, which you can start straight after your GCSEs! Many great questions were asked by our peers at Wilson’s, and Atkins gave us fitting responses. The company's branded memorabilia were quite unique, for example once the Atkins pencils had reached the end of its lifespan, you could plant it in your garden to grow your own plant. Their consideration for environmental sustainability was quite notable!

The other stall that was featured in the recital hall was hosted by Kinetic, an engineering company, who showcased the features of Gravity Sketch, an open source virtual reality environment used for 3D design, which is completely free to use. We were introduced first to the software, and its capabilities, before an example sketch was shown on a ‘conceptual quadcopter car’. We had the opportunity to observe a wide range of versatile tools which can be useful in a wide range of applications, such as fashion design, game design and virtually anything else that requires 3D computer aided design, and the beauty of this software is that people from all over the world can work simultaneously with one another in this virtual environment, distance no longer divides us in collaborative 3D design. Our own Ethan (Year 11) exhibited enthusiasm and did not hold back when given the opportunity to use the software, and showed us that Gravity Sketch really is as easy and intuitive to use as it looks! Here’s some art made with Gravity Sketch.

In the JJ hall, we had a more hands-on interaction with two technologies that would play a vital role in revolutionising the world of aerospace engineering. One such technology was the ‘Crashed’ Drone simulator, which was an FPV (first person view) drone trainer, which helps train drone pilots without the risk of breaking equipment. We all had the chance to pilot a drone around a racetrack, which had a childish game-like appeal that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. The applications for this technology are quite nuanced, but the virtual environment can be changed to different scenarios to train drone pilots, without the expensive equipment or machinery of real drones.

The last, but certainly not the least, was the chance to immerse ourselves in virtual reality, where we put ourselves in the shoes of a flight operator. Taking turns on various Meta Quest 3s, we experienced the same flight simulation software that real pilots are using to train. This will not only revolutionise training in aerospace, but also provide virtually endless possibilities in various fields, such as training F1 drivers without the need for training tracks or vehicles.

We had the great privilege to interview the man behind the Schools’ Aerospace Careers Programme, Dr Michael Smith. We asked him various questions, starting with the origin of the School’s ACP. The School’s ACP is an initiative, set up not more than a year ago, which aims to be the middleman for the aerospace centred employers, and the potential employees (the bright young minds at Wilson’s, for example), because frankly no other organisation was doing it. He decided to do it, without taking commission or looking for monetary gain out of this, and his act of kindness has inspired many budding engineers, and with no doubt will inspire countless others.

To wrap it all up, I think that I speak for all the attendees as a whole, when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed the exposure to the aerospace industry, an introduction that will remain rooted within the minds of all the future engineers. It would not have been possible without the oversight of Mr Englefield, and the other teachers who helped the event run smoothly, and we would like to extend our gratitude towards the Schools’ ACP for making this event possible. It was an eye opening experience, to say the least, and broadened the minds of those who may have been unsure on what field they would like to pursue in the future, and was invigorating for those who may already have their sights set on aerospace engineering. For those students who were unfortunately not able to attend due to oversubscriptions, all the links and videos that were shown to us have been attached below. A final thank you, once more, to everyone at Wilson’s who not only helped make this possible, but also helped host this event, I truly am grateful for the opportunities that have been provided, and hope that there will be many more similar opportunities in the future.
Sanjiv, Year 11

Dancing Robots! - Do You Love Me?
ACP Webpage - The Schools' Aerospace Careers Programme

Atkins Realis Careers:

• AtkinsRéalis (atkinsrealis.com)
• AtkinsRéalis Undergraduate Placements
• AtkinsRéalis graduate roles 2023
• All Locations - Apprentice Roles 2024

Gravity Sketch Art: Art - Metageist