Thursday, 5th November, 2020
Cory Riverside Energy and Crossness Pumping Station partner to deliver engineering education programme
Cory Riverside Energy and Crossness Pumping Station have unveiled a new programme to demonstrate innovation in the waste management sector and inspire local school children to consider careers in engineering. The programme builds on the existing relationship between Cory and Crossness following Cory's donation of £130,000 to secure the future of the Pumping Station as a local community asset in 2018.
From next year, the Engineering for a Cleaner World programme will give year 8 pupils the opportunity to visit Crossness and Cory sites and compare, contrast and assess the effectiveness of their engineering solutions to waste management.
Following an introduction to the programme, pupils will visit Crossness Pumping Station in Abbeywood, a Grade 1 listed industrial heritage site designed as part of the first sewage system for London, and Cory’s state-of-the-art Riverside Energy from Waste facility, which converts London’s non-recyclable waste into low-carbon electricity. The programme concludes with pupil presentations of their own mechanical devices to earn a certificate from the Engineering Development Trust.
By taking part, pupils will:
- Develop an understanding of the importance of effective waste management and an awareness of their individual role and responsibilities.
- Discover how engineers can solve environmental problems and improve people’s quality of life.
- Meet ‘real’ engineers and consider the exciting range of engineering careers available to them.
- Get hands-on and create their own mechanical device.
- Receive an Engineering Development Trust certificate at Challenger Level.
The programme was developed and evaluated with staff and pupils from Harris Garrard Academy (HGA) in Thamesmead.
Kimberly Ferran, a science teacher at HGA, said:
Pupils and staff at HGA benefited tremendously from this experience. The pupils loved learning about engineering and seeing it ‘in real life’ and really enjoyed the hands-on element of building models and creating their own piece of engineering.
The staff were seriously impressed with the attention given to developing the pupil experiences to link engineering to their everyday lives as well as to their community.
Fiona Cummins, Community Learning and Development Manager at Cory Riverside Energy, said:
We are pleased to be working with Crossness Pumping Station on this programme to show pupils how their education can lead to a meaningful career that addresses issues and solves problems in our society.
Effective waste management is critical to sustaining the health and well-being of people and the environment. Bexley is home to two significant pieces of infrastructure that have found innovative engineering solutions to manage the problem of London’s waste – it makes sense to use these amazing sites to inspire a future generation of engineers.
To find out more about the Engineering for a Cleaner World programme, contact:
Fiona Cummins
Community Learning and Development Manager
Cory Riverside Energy
Telephone: 07739 448818
Email: fiona.cummins@coryenergy.com
Pupils and staff at HGA benefited tremendously from this experience. The pupils loved learning about engineering and seeing it ‘in real life’ and really enjoyed the hands-on element of building models and creating their own piece of engineering.