Bridging the gap for engineers of future
Classroom project
Children from Perth Grammar, St John’s RC Academy and Ruthvenfield Primary School take part in Balfour Beatty’s Bridges to Schools project The team behind construction work to build a new bridge to Perth’s proposed Bertha Park village is said to have been inspiring the next generation by bringing civil engineering into the classroom.
Balfour Beatty has been working with school children from across the region in a ‘Bridges to Schools’ project, which saw the youngsters building and testing scale models of the 15-metre cable bridge with the help of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ regional education team.
The event, which aims to encourage the next generation into a career in civil engineering, worked with pupils from Perth Grammar School, St John’s RC Academy, and Ruthvenfield Primary School, who learned about the importance of safe working practices and the engineering needed to build a bridge, including using counterweights, towers in compression and cables in tension.
Ken Brown, deputy project manager for Balfour Beatty’s Perth Transport Futures project, said: “We are dedicated to engaging with the local community and out future workforce.
“Bridges to Schools is yet another excellent example of the positive activity that we can undertake to inspire and educate the next generation.
“I would like to thank the dedicated teams from both Balfour Beatty and Perth and Kinross Council for facilitating this important event and would like to congratulate all students who rose to the challenge.”
Jillian Ferguson, project manager at Perth and Kinross Council, added: “It was great to see pupils of various ages engaging with the project team and gaining an informative insight into civil engineering.”