Back in July 2016, for the first time ever, three teachers embarked on a STEM Insight placement with Caterpillar.
Caterpillar designs, develops, engineers, manufactures and sells a vast range of machinery and engines to people all around the world.
The STEM Insight programme provided these teachers with the unique opportunity to gain a real insight into Caterpillar and how STEM is used in the daily work of the company.
A great chance to delve into life in a STEM-based industry, the teachers had a tour around its factory in Peterborough, met with its Human Resources team to learn about recruitment processes, graduate and apprenticeship routes and talked to its many employees at the Europe Research and Development Centre about their careers and how they use STEM in their job roles.
Not only this, they were also able to operate 3D scanners, excavators, skid steer loaders and back hoe loaders, allowing them to experience first-hand what they had been learning about.
On the final day of their placement, the teachers met with senior leaders at Caterpillar to tell them about their experience and how it will benefit them in the classroom.
Alice Kupara from Thomas Deacon Academy, one of the three teachers who participated in the STEM Insight placement, told us:
"The placement provided opportunities to see theory I teach in practice and discover more. One of my colleagues on the placement summed up the experience well by identifying that ‘As teachers we know a little about a lot but not a lot about a little’.
The placement provided an opportunity to learn a lot about STEM careers, updating and adding to my STEM industry knowledge. I feel equipped to be a STEM Careers Advisor and ambassador through my classroom teaching and enrichment offerings! It has confirmed that there is a place and need for ICT and computer science in industry! Thank you Caterpillar.”
We also chatted to Steve Warburton, Principal, Greater Peterborough University Technical College, another participant on the placement, said:
“What do you expect when you get 10 days to immerse yourself in the work of a global company like Caterpillar? I know that I was overwhelmed with the diversity of experience and learning I had access to, courtesy of the team at Caterpillar’s site in Peterborough.
We had sessions with 15 different teams of people over the two weeks and were given the opportunity to engage with areas as diverse as production lines, materials testing, maintenance, design, product appreciation, logistics, marketing, manufacturing and even patent law... all while exploring the concepts of STEM-related careers and the application of STEM learning in the modern industrial workplace.
It was an eye-opening opportunity that has helped our organisation tune its preparation of learners for careers in engineering, and had a direct impact on teaching as we have imported a considerable number of Caterpillar case studies into our teaching in STEM areas, as well as establishing solid relationships that support future developments.
This was our first placement and we intend to release two more staff to take advantage of the placement programme in this academic year.”
If you would like to spend a week working with Caterpillar in Peterborough and experience all of this for yourself, applications are open to take part in their summer 2017 placement.
Applicants must be able to attend from 17– 21 July 2017.