RDA Hunter’s ME Program hosted an aerospace careers day at BAE Systems Australia, Fighter World Aviation Museum and Hunter River High School sites on Friday June 24th.

Staged to highlight the career opportunities available in STEM and aerospace in the Hunter, 360 students from 16 participating high schools engaged in hands-on STEM activities.

“Hunter schools used to be well below the average for STEM participation in the HSC,” RDA Hunter chief executive Todd Williams said.

“But now because of the ME Program, which we’ve been running since 2010, we’re well above the average. We have 42 schools and 32 industries involved in the program and now we’re able to do things like the careers day at BAE.”

“This is exciting for everyone, especially for the industry who needs a workforce and for the students and teachers who can contextualise what they’ve been studying.”

Students visited BAE Systems’ Williamtown facility to see first-hand aeronautical engineers and technicians sustaining the nation’s fighter jets, and to find out about career pathways into the aerospace industry.

“BAE Systems needs about 200 additional staff in the next five years just within this region,” Andrew Chapman, head of aerospace engineering at BAE Systems Williamtown, said.

“Giving these kids who are in year 10 and are starting to make decisions about their futures a chance to walk through here today… this is the place where they will start. It makes it real for them.

“Today is about lighting a spark in them and to encourage them to chase their dreams.”

The Aeronautical Velocity Challenge activities, staged at Fighter World Aviation Museum and Hunter River Aerospace High, were developed as a STEM initiative to address Australia’s shortage of scientists and engineers.

School teams participated in Aeronautical Velocity challenges including: designing, producing and dog-fighting balsa model propeller powered planes, as well as designing, producing and launching bottle rockets to achieve maximum velocity whilst travelling a maximum distance.

View the Port Stephens Examiner story http://www.portstephensexaminer.com.au/story/3990040/bae-systems-opens-doors-for-hunter-stem-kids/?cs=762

View the NBN Television story http://www.nbnnews.com.au/2016/06/24/raaf-puts-on-a-show/