The Blyth school aiming to stop engineers leaving the area

One of the companies Bede Academy in Blyth links with is Texo

Students are being given an insight into careers in engineering as part of a project to prevent talented young people from leaving the area.

Bede Academy in Blyth, Northumberland, opened in 2009 and specialises in engineering and enterprise.

The town has a strong engineering tradition, including wind turbines and subsea drilling, and the school has links with businesses in such sectors.

Students are shown the range of jobs and the skills needed to secure them.

"It's just opening their eyes," said engineering teacher Mark Davies.

"For a lot of them they didn't understand the amount of engineering infrastructure on their doorstep.

"So it's making them see that there are opportunities locally rather than having to go elsewhere in the country."

Bede Academy students Kate, Aaron, Kaya and Zaki said they were interested in careers in engineering

Year 12 student Zaki, 17, is among those hoping to pursue a career in engineering.

"When I came into Bede in year seven, I'd never really done any practical type of subject in my primary school," he said.

"So when I started doing engineering I enjoyed the subject because it was more practical.

"I feel happy that there's more engineering opportunities happening in Blyth for when I leave sixth form."

The school arranges trips and talks with local employers, so that students get a real understanding of the different sectors and types of work available. This can also provide the opportunity to make links with potential future employers.

Kaya, 17, has just started year 13 studying engineering, so he will be looking for work or further study at the end of this academic year.

Industrial heritage

He said the trips and links with employers were "my chance to really get myself forward and get my name out there".

Port of Blyth is one such employer. It has 50 employees and indirectly employs more than 500 staff.

The port is central to Blyth's industrial heritage and future growth, and offers a range of engineering jobs, including work in offshore, manufacturing and logistics.

Alan Conway is divisional director of Port of Blyth-based Texo, a multi-service engineering and fabrication company.

He said: "The port itself is expanding, there's going to be about 7,500 jobs in the North East in the next two to three years.

"The benefits of working with the schools are that you have the opportunity to inspire the next generation of engineers, that could be designers or the men and women that will build these wonderful pieces of equipment.

"Further down the line, we'd hope to be interviewing the pupils we meet for apprentice or graduate roles."

Blyth has a strong engineering tradition, including wind turbines and subsea drilling

Another aim for the school is encouraging more women to choose careers in engineering.

In England, figures from the Office for National Statistics show 12.6% of the engineering workforce are female. This year 17% of Bede Academy's year 11 engineering students are female.

Kate, 16, has started her first year of sixth form this term.

"I've always had an interest in how things go together and how things work the way they do," she said.

Kate said having female engineering teachers has helped inspire and encourage her.

One of those teachers is Victoria Smith.

"The girls are absolute superstars, they're really, really on it," she said.

"The numbers are improving, we just need to get more girls involved."

Aaron has just finished year 13 and is now looking for work or an apprenticeship in engineering. He is enthusiastic about cars, so he set up a car detailing business in 2020, washing and restoring cars in his spare time.

He said: "I just wanted to do something with [cars] and so I set this up with my dad. If you don't put the time and effort in, you ain't going to get the results out - I put the same principle into school".

You can see more on this story on BBC One in the North East & Cumbria with Educating Blyth on Friday 14 October at 19:30.