Bridgend Students Dive into Engineering with Hands-On Workshops

With support from Bridgend County Borough Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UK SPF), EESW has delivered a series of hands-on STEM workshops to over 250 secondary school pupils across five schools in Bridgend between January and March 2025.

The workshops—covering Wind Turbines, Prosthetics in Motion, Microbits Coding, and the Speed Challenge—encouraged pupils to apply problem-solving, creativity, and technical skills in real-world STEM contexts.

At Brynteg Comprehensive School, pupils took part in two workshops as part of their STEM Careers Day. In Prosthetics in Motion, students built and coded LEGO prosthetic arms, combining innovation with empathy. The Speed Challenge introduced the principles of aerodynamics through designing and racing card model cars. Teacher Michelle Hughes shared:

“Pupils were engaged from the onset. Hands-on activity was perfect. Presenters were engaging. A real-life scenario brought to the classroom—pupils loved making the product for themselves.”

She added, “We would not be able to provide such a fantastic learning experience due to a lack of expertise, resources and funding. We are very grateful for your time and support.”

At Archbishop McGrath, students explored renewable energy through a Wind Turbine workshop, improving turbine efficiency through design challenges. Teacher Shaun Green commented:

“One of the highlights of having EESW visit our school was supporting pupils to problem-solve creatively. The hands-on approach engaged them throughout and developed crossover skills that are highly relevant to the Design Technology curriculum.”

These workshops have brought STEM to life for young learners across Bridgend, inspiring future careers in engineering.  

Thank you to the Bridgend County Borough Council Regeneration Team for supporting this project from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.