It’s STEAM Time! GESS Launches First Junior Engineer Academy Outside Europe

How do you fuel your child’s love of science and technology now to open up the exciting opportunities of engineering ahead?

STEAM education – which focuses on science, technology, engineering, art and math – is all the rage, mama. Your kids love it (who doesn’t love tinkering with robots, learning to code and watching science experiments explode?), but do your children know that science and engineering can take them beyond the classroom and into fulfilling careers? That’s where the Junior Engineer Academy comes in. It’s only existed in Europe up until now, but GESS has just been established as the first school outside of Europe to be accepted into the esteemed Junior Engineer Academy network. That’s big news for STEAM lovers!

What is the Junior Engineer Academy?

The Junior Engineer Academy was incepted by the Deutsche Telekom Stiftung in 2005 to promote an interest in technical and engineering among young students between the ages of 13 to 14. Students at GESS will now be able to explore their interest in engineering and science at a deeper and more realistic level — giving them a tangible idea of future careers, internships and access to important networks, all while at school!

GESS’ Junior Engineer Academy Programme

The new elective of Junior Engineer Academy at GESS consists of a 2-year programme which involves training in basic engineering modules. Students will learn about industrial design, materials science, coding, sensors, robotics and more. A core part of the programme will focus on sustainable urban living spaces, which is in keeping with Singapore’s dense urban environment and will bring to life the STEAM teaching criteria of the programme. One particularly exciting area where students will be able to put their new skills into action will be helping to build GESS’s very own green wall at their amazing new campus. As well as the practical skills and career insights, at the end of the 2-year after-school programme students will receive a certificate endorsed by the school and Deutsche Telekom Stiftung.

Science & Engineering Career Prospects

One of the important benefits of the Junior Engineer Academy is the insight it gives students into engineering and technical careers. This is especially important for girls, as fuelling students’ interest in these sectors at a young age and letting them see their potential makes achieving a career in these areas more realistic. The programme also opens doors to university academics, scientific bodies and industry experts to learn from in order to tackle real-world challenges in society today. The programme gives students access to fantastic networking opportunities and they will get the chance to make contact with sought-after contacts in the engineering industry which opens up unique internship and vocational training opportunities.

Junior Engineer Academy Partners

The programme at GESS is in collaboration with partners like XentiQ, Bosch, Pepperl&Fuchs, and NUS Pomeroy Studio who will offer:

• Opportunities for visits to their companies and research centres
• Lectures, seminars and training from industrial experts
• Supervision of sub-projects and consultation from industrial experts wherever applicable
• Sought after internship opportunities where students will be able to use specialised engineering equipment in a professional setting to get a taste of the real engineering world.

Has your interest been piqued? Ours too! Join the GESS Open House to find out more.

GESS, 2 Dairy Farm Lane, Singapore 677621, Tel: (+65) 6469 1131, www.gess.sg