AECOM invited 50 children into its London campus for an Open House day to find out more about the amazing engineering that goes on behind the scenes of daily life. The children took part in fun, hands-on activities delivered by members of AECOM’s engineering teams throughout the day to help them learn about different specialisms of engineering and find out more about what a career in engineering would be like.

Children took part in problem-solving workshops, including fun competitions such as building structures out of spaghetti through to insulting chocolate by using a range of materials to stop the chocolate melting for the longest time.

AECOM held the event as part of its partnership with the Year of Engineering, a UK government-run campaign running through 2018 that celebrates the world and wonder of engineering.

David Barwell, Chief Executive, UK & Ireland, said: “The Open House day was a great opportunity to inspire the next generation of engineers by enabling them to experience this wonderfully creative industry in action.

“Stereotypes about a career in engineering or construction are still rife, but the reality is very different. It’s important for young people to discover the exciting and intellectually challenging work engineers do to build a better world, from using virtual reality to the basic principles of building bridges and electrical conduction.”

The Year of Engineering forms an important part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, which is committed to boosting engineering across the UK, ensuring everyone has the skills needed to thrive in a modern economy.