On October 13, 2021, the GE Foundation, with GE Vernova, and The Inspirational Learning Group launched Next Engineers Staffordshire. Together, we are investing in Staffordshire — the future engineers who will drive the change the world needs.
GE Vernova employees: are you interested in volunteering for Next Engineers? If so, contact the Staffordshire Team for more information.
Opportunities to explore and discover
Students (Year 9) build awareness about what engineers do through a variety of short, exploratory sessions led by GE Vernova engineers. Volunteers deliver creative, hands-on activities in the classroom or community to inspire young people and expand their understanding of what engineering is all about.
Engineering Experience: An immersive learning experience
In the summer of 2024, Next Engineers Staffordshire will offer a series of Engineering Experience sessions, perfect for Year 9 and Year 10 students. Over the course of one week, students are introduced to the engineering process. Experienced engineering faculty, staff, GE Vernova volunteers, and business leaders interact with students as they complete design challenges inspired by real-world scenarios, such as building bridge prototypes and creating their own pressure-powered cars. All Engineering Experience sessions are free of cost.
Experience applications for 2025 are open! Please create an account and complete the application below. Staffordshire will run 2 sessions of Experience, one the week of August 4 and one the week of August 11. Applications are due Friday, March 28. If you have any questions, please e-mail nextengineers@tilg.co.uk.
A transformative learning experience
Are you a Year 11 student? Do you want the chance to think and act like an engineer? Apply to be in the Engineering Academy.
Over three years, students learn engineering skills and prepare for further education at a university or training through an apprenticeship program. With over 220 hours over 3 years outside of school, the Academy includes a series of immersive design challenges, career coaching, and university-readiness workshops to equip youth with the skills they need to build an engineering career. All Next Engineers: Engineering Academy Staffordshire graduates who enter higher education for engineering degrees will be awarded $10,000 USD (approximately £8,000, dependent on exchange rate) in financial support. Engineering Academy graduates who commit to an engineering apprenticeship at any company in the U.K. will receive approximately $1,500 USD (approximately £1,300) to help fund transportation, books, and supplies.
Applications are closed! We are not accepting new applications in Staffordshire for the foreseeable future. Thank you to everyone who applied. If you have any questions, please e-mail nextengineers@tilg.co.uk. Thank you!
Events
The TILG team visit Blessed William Howard Catholic Schoo
As part of their Academy experience, our Cohort 3 students will be visiting Farm Urban in Liverpool.
Founded in 2013, Farm Urban aims to find healthier and more sustainable solutions to enable people to grow fresh, nutritious food locally using vertical farming.
As part of their Academy experience, our Cohort 2 students will visit the JCB Headquarters in Staffordshire.
Our Cohort 2 and 3 students will be in attendance working on their group projects.