Oswestry based Aico Ltd, a market leader in domestic Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms are working with a local Secondary School, to help inspire the next generation to get involved with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through a series of challenges created to get students hands-on within the electrical industry.
Aico Ltd’s ‘Aico in the Community’ Team have been formed so that the company can support education, charity, volunteering and enterprise within the local area.
The Aico Alarm Challenge is one of the first ‘Aico in the Community’ initiatives created in partnership with STEM and Industrial Cadets, part of The Engineering Trust, and will see thirty students from St. Martins School, Shropshire, spend a day at Aico’s Centre of Excellence, their purpose built training facility, located within Mile End Business Park, to take part in a STEM Challenge.
The Challenge will be taking place on the 9th July and will see students tackle a series of tasks throughout the day including alarm programming, using installation software and wiring workshops. The aim is that participants will leave with a real-life context of how technology and innovation work in a market leading electronics company. Once back in the classroom the students will also be asked to complete a ‘Specification Challenge’ bringing together all the knowledge they have gained throughout their day to design a Fire Alarm System.
Mandi Jones, Inclusion Manager at St. Martin’s School stated ‘We are very much looking forward to working with all the team at Aico Ltd. Following an assembly with Emma Ferguson and Ruth Martin from Aico, 30 students from Year 9 will be attending an interactive Challenger Day. We will be working closely with Aico to promote STEM within both school and industry. This is an exciting opportunity for us here in school and we are extremely grateful to the staff at Aico for all their help and support.’
Shelley Robinson, Enterprise Coordinator from Shropshire Council explained ‘It’s so important for young people to have contact with businesses and the world of work, because it shows them possibilities, raises aspirations, and helps to address youth employment and skills shortages. We are really grateful to companies like Aico Ltd, who are actively getting involved in school and college engagement.’
Pictured: Emma Ferguson and Ruth Martin from Aico speaking to Year 9 students at St. Martin’s School
