Ella-Rose Harrison-Reeve, Marketing Executive, Jonathan Powell, Sales Director, and Mark Kingston, Marketing Manager from Spectra Packaging, delivered a presentation on Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle practices during sustainability stem week.
Jonathan asked the students whether we can live without plastic and demonstrated the risks of using alternative materials. The students engaged in this topic, which led to a class discussion. Spectra also spoke to pupils about the importance of Life Cycle Analysis and Open and Closed-Loop recycling methods.
The students said
“I learnt that some things are better off packaged in plastic than glass or aluminium because of the amount of energy that’s needed.” Maddy D Year 9
“I enjoyed making the posters and learning how we can help the environment.” Zainab J Year 9
Ella-Rose Harrison-Reeve, who managed the visit, commented, “We tasked the students to design a poster or a factsheet on the reduce, reuse, recycling practices and discussion points learnt from the workshop we presented. They produced some fantastic work, illustrating some great methods. We gathered copies of all their designs and can’t wait to proudly display them in our factory.”
Spectra also set the students a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the lesson to see if they understood the workshop’s purpose, with the majority of the class gaining top marks.
Josh Spall (Toolroom Supervisor), Ryan Wright (Product Designer) and Mark Kingston (Marketing Manager) were invited back a couple of days later to the school for their STEM Fair.
A range of local businesses, colleges, universities and services attended the event. The STEM Fair showcased the range of careers and apprenticeships local businesses can provide students once they finish their studies. The event offered an ideal opportunity for students to ask questions about what grades and goals they would require to gain potential employment.
The students also worked on sustainability projects during their lessons for the past few weeks. The results of their efforts were displayed for the local businesses in attendance to judge on.
Ryan Wright, Product Designer from Spectra, said, “It was great hearing the students talking passionately about their chosen projects. The wide range of projects showed the diversity of topics covered within STEM. I found it interesting to listen to the student’s thoughts on plastic packaging and the environmental and sustainability issues they find important”.
He added, “As a company that embraces young talent, it is important that we engage with the schools in the local area to show both our continued efforts toward being a responsible manufacturer and the range of careers available throughout the business. The event demonstrated the wealth of STEM students and career opportunities in the local area.”
