Funding Opportunities

Primary Engineer has a national reputation for high quality, effective STEM engagement by using a multiplicity of approaches with industry engagement at its core.

Primary Engineer has a national reputation for high quality, effective STEM engagement by using a multiplicity of approaches with industry engagement at its core.

WHAT WE DO:

Primary Engineer is an educational not-for-profit organisation founded in 2005 which aims to engage both primary and secondary school pupils and teachers with the vast and inspirational world of engineering and technology. We work with businesses and industry across the UK to help develop a future, diverse generation of engineering and technology professionals. 

WHY WE DO IT:

With the UK facing both a short and long-term skills crisis in many sectors, the importance of early engagement with pupils has never been more acute. Research shows STEM aspirations and perceptions are formed during the primary years and have solidified by the age of fourteen. In addition, there is an increasing recognition that a more diverse talent force with a problem-finding and creative problem-solving approach will be critical if we are to successfully transition to new technologies and provide the solutions required to achieve net-zero and other global challenges. 

HOW WE DO IT:

Primary Engineer delivers a range of programmes and competitions which enable teachers to confidently embed engineering and technology in their curriculum and, crucially, bring a real-world context into the classroom for pupils through meaningful and direct engagement with the companies and organisations that support us. 

Our Reach:

Our Reach

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Be part of the story

If you want to find out about our funding opportunities, or explore how you can work with us, get in touch today

pe sun

Be part of the story

If you want to find out about our funding opportunities, or explore how you can work with us, get in touch today

HOW WE DO IT:

HOW WE DO IT:

Primary Engineer® Programmes

The Primary Engineer Programmes provide meaningful links between engineering, technology and education through training primary school teachers, enabling them to deliver an engineering and technology project with pupils in the classroom. Engineering and technology professionals enhance the learning by raising awareness of the breadth of opportunities and careers that the world of engineering and technology offers with both pupils and teachers. The programme is currently delivered in 3 versions, each using the same underlying principles of developing skills but which allow a variety of outcomes. 

Leaders Award Competition

Complementing the Primary Engineer Programmes is our annual, UK-wide competition, Leaders Award, which is open to both primary and secondary pupils asking them “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. Pupils interview engineering and technology professionals, identify a problem in the world and design an innovative solution. Tens of thousands of pupils take part each year, all recognised with a certificate graded by engineers and the gender split of pupil entries is 50/50. Pupils are celebrated at our regional awards events and exhibitions, with designs being selected to be developed into prototypes by our university and industry partners.   

STATWARS Competition

Our other national competition is STATWARS: Climate Change Challenge, a data project that empowers and educates pupils aged 8–14 to tackle climate change using data they capture themselves. Pupils use our carbon footprint calculator to calculate their carbon footprint, then use this data to identify three changes they can make in their daily lives to help tackle climate change. 

Schools host in-class debates on their work and submit one team per class, with every pupil receiving a graded certificate and up to £5000 worth of eco-prizes available to schools who take part. 

EVIDENCE:

EVIDENCE:

ANNUAL REPORT

Our 2023-2024 Annual Report will be published in October. In this document you will find not only the statistics, but the direct impact of our work as well as some of the stories from the pupils, teachers and engineers we have worked with. 

KEEPING KIDS ON TRACK

This is a full report into the impact and effectiveness of our Primary Engineer Rail Programme. “Keeping Kids on Track: Evaluating Five Years of the Primary Engineer Rail Programme” looks at the impact the programme has had on Pupils, Teachers and the Engineers, as well as highlighting the scale of what we have all achieved. 

10 YEARS OF ‘MAKING A RIPPLE’

This report explores the impact that our Leaders Award Competition has had on learners, teachers, schools and engineers since its launch. This analysis draws on historic evaluation data and reports, as well as new data collected for the tenth anniversary, including surveys, testimonials and interviews with students, teachers and engineers. 

WHO WE WORK WITH

See the industries and organisations partnering with us this year

WHO WE WORK WITH

See the industries and organisations partnering with us this year

Get in touch with us today and learn how you can play your part in inspiring the next generation of engineers

Get in touch with us today and learn how you can play your part in inspiring the next generation of engineers