OPENING ACCESS TO ENGINEERING CAREERS

A Liverpool engineering consultancy hopes to open the world of engineering to future generations of young people by launching a free virtual work experience platform designed to make the sector more accessible, regardless of background or professional connections.

AJP Consulting Engineers (AJP) has launched AJP Engine, an interactive online platform that provides students with a hands-on introduction to civil and structural engineering through real-world projects, challenges and workplace scenarios. Aimed mainly at Years 10 and 11 students, the platform is completely free and can be accessed independently by pupils or via schools and colleges across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.

A personal project

For AJP director Kenny O’Brien, the project is deeply personal.

Kenny joined AJP as a teenager with GCSEs before working his way up to director level. As his career developed, he became increasingly aware that many of the young people who were getting the best quality work experience opportunities already had an advantage: they had well-connected family members who were either professionally qualified and employed in senior engineering roles themselves, or knew people who were. When it came to finding a high-quality work experience opportunity, these pupils were instantly in first place, whilst less fortunate young people from poorer backgrounds were left with little to no chance of competing.

“One day, I realised that the same kinds of pupils were coming through for work experience, time after time,” he explains. “They all had families with social capital. In other words, their parents were connected to or already worked in the sector, or had friends who did.”

Genuine engineering experience

Providing less privileged pupils with engineering work experience opportunities is also made harder by the simple fact that there are so few opportunities. Engineering companies often have the capacity to host only a small handful of pupils each year. The advantage of using an online solution is that it instantly breaks down the barriers of limited access and a restricted number of opportunities.

Rather than creating a simple online learning resource, AJP wanted to build something that felt much closer to a genuine engineering experience. The programme takes students through the lifecycle of a real engineering project, introducing them to everything from ground investigations and flood risk management to foundations, drainage systems and structural design.

Real industry scenarios

As they progress through the modules, students complete quizzes, interactive activities and problem-solving exercises based on real industry scenarios. They can save their progress, build a downloadable workbook and earn a certificate at the end of the programme.

Crucially, the platform also highlights the variety of careers available within engineering, something Kenny believes many young people are unaware of.

“Some young people might be put off because they think engineering is just about maths,” he says. “But they might actually discover they are brilliant at 3D modelling, for example, without realising it. AJP Engine makes them aware of the different skills and careers that exist in engineering.”

A starting point

The online portal isn’t designed to replace traditional work experience. It actually provides an ideal starting point: pupils can first explore engineering digitally through Engine, then decide whether to pursue an in-person work placement and possibly even a career in the sector.

AJP is hosting four work experience students this summer through a structured week-long programme that combines the virtual platform with real office experience and live engineering projects. Alongside technical knowledge, Kenny stresses the importance of students developing communication, presentation, and workplace skills.

Boosting social mobility

More than 1,200 students across the UK have engaged with the platform, with participants spending an average of 5.5 hours completing the experience. Survey data show significant increases in students’ confidence and awareness of engineering careers after participating.

Importantly, the programme appears to be reaching the audiences AJP most wants to support. Pilot year data showed that 23% of participants were eligible for free school meals, 31% would be the first in their family to attend university, 12% were care-experienced and 10% identified as having special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

In the programme overview, AJP describes Engine as “not a programme for the privileged; it is built for communities”. For Kenny, that commitment to widening access is what sets the platform apart.

“Everyone talks about social value, but I’m not sure everyone truly understands it,” he says. “The real value for me is giving opportunities to young people from backgrounds like mine: teenagers growing up on estates who don’t have social capital or obvious routes into professional careers.

“If this platform helps a young person discover engineering, go on to build a successful career and achieve things they never thought possible, that’s where the real social value is. That’s the long goal.”

You can’t be what you can’t see

The phrase “You can’t be what you can’t see” has become one of Kenny’s favourite sayings, commonly attributed to American civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman. She used it in the context of helping children and young people recognise possibilities for their future by seeing positive role models and pathways to success.

The phrase perfectly captures the purpose of AJP Engine. By giving young people access to careers and opportunities they might otherwise never encounter, the platform aims to ensure that a lack of connections, networks, or social capital is never the reason someone misses out on a future in engineering.

AJP is now working with partners across the Liverpool City Region to help more schools and young people access the platform and encourage a more diverse future workforce within engineering.

AJP Engine was created to give every young person access to high-quality engineering work experience, regardless of background. If you’re interested in discovering where a career in engineering could take you, sign up for free and explore the platform today.