STEM in Aviation 2019 has taken flight

On Friday the 8th November ELBA hosted their 3rd STEM in Aviation event together with London City Airport. This was the largest STEM event so far with over 450 students attending from 23 schools across seven boroughs in east London. The focus this year was the Future of Flight.

Students met business and university professionals to learn about how STEM subjects are relevant for a career in the Aviation industry. A question often on students minds are what can I use math or science subjects for? The STEM event got the students involved in activities, like the Business Challenge, where they had to apply the knowledge they learn in math and science. In groups students had to design a new departure lounge with correct calculations and measurements. All groups presented their ideas and the winning team was from Sydney Russell School in Barking and Dagenham.

Students enjoyed both creating airplanes and testing out VR technology, however the majority expressed the Business Challenge as the highlight of the day. “I really enjoyed the part where we had to design our own airport lounge” said a student from Swanlea school.

Watch a short video showing highlights of the day here.

Events like this are crucial in order to raise students’ aspirations and better their future opportunities. With the Gatsby Benchmarks, schools are required to link curriculum learning to careers as well as make sure their students have encounters with employees and experiences of workplaces. ELBA supports east London schools in providing these opportunities. We would like to thank our corporate partners, London City Airport, BA Cityflyer, UEL and Accenture for giving insight to students and preparing them for making their future career choices.