School children from East Yorkshire have welcomed 20 pupils from three Bangalore schools arriving for a two week visit as part of the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
BAE Systems is one of four ‘corporate champions’ of the five year initiative, managed by the British Council, which aims to improve cultural and educational links between India and the UK. Investing £100,000 per year in collaborative education projects, BAE Systems aims to boost cultural awareness and understanding of science and engineering among young people.
The Company has been working with schools in Brough, where it builds the Hawk advanced jet trainer, and Bangalore, where Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is building Hawk aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Teachers from Brough have already travelled to Bangalore to meet with their Indian counterparts and have developed joint curriculum projects. BAE Systems has created a dedicated website for the schools to share resources and pupils communicate regularly both via the website’s online forum and webcams.
The group consisted of pupils from Innisfree House School, Coorg Public School and Sri Kumaran Public School, and their teachers; Mrs Sheela Bolar; Mrs SadiyaHussaini; Mrs B. Udalaksmi; and Mrs A R Ambika.
The trip marks the first opportunity for the young people to meet face to face and gain a true understanding of each other’s culture. The Indian pupils will visit Brough Primary School, South Hunsley School and St Anne’s Community Special School taking part in assemblies and lessons, as well as art and technology projects to experience school life in Britain. The British pupils are paired with their Indian counterparts to learn how their day compares to life at school in Bangalore. The pupils have also had the opportunity to tour the BAE Systems site at Brough and meet the engineers working on the Hawk for a behind the scenes look at how the world’s most successful advanced jet training aircraft is made.
Sheela Bolar, Head Mistress at Innisfree House School in Bangalore, said: “The day at BAE Systems went beautifully, it was very useful and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They’ve been very excited to learn about the aerospace industry and engineering. There are a few children who are already thinking of making their careers in this industry as a result of the visit.”
Kerry Featherstone, Head of Assurance & Business Improvement at BAE Systems in Brough, said: “Our involvement in this project is part of an extensive outreach programme working with schools, colleges and universities in the communities in which BAE Systems operates.
“The programme has already delivered social and educational benefits to these young people. For many involved, this visit provides a unique opportunity to gain an appreciation of different cultures that they will need to operate in a global economy in later life.”
BAE Systems is also working in partnership with Leicester University on a three year research project with the National Aerospace Laboratories in Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, which aims to develop new control technologies for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). BAE Systems is bringing its skills in successfully applying knowledge in a commercial environment to contribute to the innovative, cutting edge research that Leicester University and its Indian partners are producing.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the premier global defence, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.
About UKIERI
UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) is a five year programme which aims to substantially improve educational links between India and UK ensuring in the longer term we become each other’s partner of choice in education. UKIERI was launched by former Prime Minister Tony Blair in April 2006 in India.
UKIERI is a complex partnership, involving a number of UK public sector organisations, as well as four corporate partners, BAE Systems, BP, GlaxoSmithKline and Shell, the devolved administrations, and the Indian government. It has been a high profile project since its inception in 2006. To date, it has committed almost £20 million to support hundreds of bilateral partnerships between India and the UK in three areas: higher education; schools and professional and technical skills. The initiative also offers an opportunity for high level policy dialogue between the two countries on areas of mutual interest. For more information, please visit: www.ukieri.org
