News

Worcester Bosch inspires the next generation at the FIRST® LEGO® League Explore Festival

Published: 09-06-2023

• The global initiative strives to engage children of all ages with the STEM topics of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) report in December 2022 was presented to the government to tackle £1.5bn engineering skills shortage through primary and secondary education drive. Report was called Engineering Kids Futures.

On Thursday 8^th June, we hosted the FIRST® LEGO® League Explore Festival to inspire the next generation of children interested in STEM topics of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths at our head quarters in Worcester. The Initiative is all part of the celebrations for 125 years of Bosch in the UK

The partnership addresses the need to combat the current skills gap in STEM as a report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in December 2022 showed there was a shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the STEM sector costing the economy a shocking £1.5bn per annum.¹ This report was endorsed by over 150 engineering leaders and celebrities, including, Major Tim Peake, Carol Vorderman MBE and will.i.am.

The FIRST® LEGO® League is a global initiative that strives to engage children between the ages of 4 and 16, to help children build habits of learning, confidence, and teamwork through hands-on experiences with science and technology. The partnership is just one example of our ongoing commitment to closing the skills gap and engaging a generation of young people to enter the sector, building on its existing long-term engagement through its Cecil Duckworth Apprenticeship scheme.

As part of the action-packed morning, children from Perry Wood, St Georges Catholic Primary, Sychampton School, Upton Snodsbury and St Peters Church of England Academy were welcomed by our CEO Carl Arntzen, who spoke with the children about how interesting and important STEM topics are. This year’s theme is SUPERPOWERED which introduces the students to the idea of energy journeys and encourages them to explore their own ideas and solutions for the future. Each school presented their LEGO projects to our Reviewers before an interactive sustainability minded game and celebrations were had. 

Spanning 110 countries, the FIRST® LEGO® League has already helped over 650,000 children through a guided, and global robotics program to engage critical thinking, coding and design skills.

Carl Arntzen commented, “As a business with strong routes in engineering, we at Worcester Bosch are acutely aware of the ever-present skills gap in the STEM industries. As a result, and as part of the 125 years of Bosch in the UK activities we are proud to partner with FIRST® LEGO® League and directly engage with young people of all ages in STEM. We are committed to inspire individuals into the field by dedicating time to sharing the knowledge and enthusiasm to help develop tomorrow’s engineers.”

David Lakin, Head of Education, Safeguarding & Education Policy at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), added, “We are incredibly pleased to partner with Bosch to make this FIRST® LEGO® Explore Festival at Worcester Bosch a reality. Businesses such as theirs have shown how continued investment in STEM can impact local lives and are fundamental in driving participation in careers in relevant industries. There is no better way to hear how rewarding a career in the STEM industries can be than from those who have pursued it and we look forward to seeing how these young children develop for the future.”

To find out more about Worcester Bosch educational support activities please visit, https://alpha.worcester-bosch.co.uk/about/CSR/education