AFBE-UK Scotland inspires next generation of energy engineers

School pupils in Aberdeen have been given an insight into the world of oil and gas engineering by a group of industry professionals.

AFBE-UK Scotland, a not-for-profit organisation which aims to inspire the next generation of engineers, took its NextGen initiative to Gilcomstoun Primary School, teaching the primary 5 and 6 classes the basics of working life in the sector.

The event kicked off with members of the group giving demonstrations of oil and gas industry concepts using an offshore puzzle board, a pigging model and a Lego model of offshore systems among others.

The pupils then watched a video highlighting the relevance of engineering to everyday life before Edwin Ekpiri, who works at an oil and gas major, gave a talk detailing a typical day in his working life as a reservoir engineer.

A presentation entitled ‘The five steps to heaven’ which was given by Roy Bitrus, a PhD student at University of Aberdeen, showed the pupils the key elements which are required to be in place before engineers can begin to extract oil.

To round off the event, pupils took part in a range of games and challenges designed by AFBE-UK Scotland to test their problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.

Activities included creating a landing pad for a helicopter using paper, clips and tape, and building an offshore environment using Lego. Pupils were given feedback on their designs and prizes were awarded at the close of the event.

Dr Ollie Folayan, Chairman, AFBE-UK Scotland, said: “Our aim is to encourage youngsters to follow a career path in engineering and we hope that by visiting schools across Aberdeen we have interacted with pupils in a fun and interesting way, highlighting the great things about working in our sector.”

The group recently received industry recognition with the Chairman’s Award by the Aberdeen Members Group of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) for its outstanding contribution to the engineering industry.