Engineering youth camp inspires Joshua

Joshua Childe spent five days at the automotive supplier's plant in Berlin, where he joined 19 other boys and girls from across the world to take part in a range of exercises designed to increase their desire to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The 15 year-old pupil at Windsor High School, in Halesowen, completed workshops with a focus on electronics and design and gained a valuable insight into soldering whilst visiting the company's factory in the city.

There was also an emphasis on providing intercultural activities and this included a theatre evening, cooking class, a visit to the Computer Games Museum and venturing to the top of the Berlin TV tower.

Joshua, who was nominated by his uncle and Brose UK resident quality engineer Phil Fiddian, said: "I really enjoyed the youth camp, from meeting lots of new people from different backgrounds to learning more about the latest engineering techniques.

"In my spare time, I like building and assembling MP3 players and Scalextric cars so the chance to take part in the Lego Mindstorm challenge, where we had to design a robot for speed, was great. My team even came second."

He continued: "The youth camp has definitely made me want to pursue a career in engineering and technology."

Brose is the world's fifth-largest family-owned automotive supplier and a specialist in mechatronic systems for vehicle doors and seats as well as electric motors and drives. The Youth Camp was the first time the company had embarked on an international project that enabled children of its employees to experience its family-owned company from a single location.

"Being Germany's capital, a melting pot of manufacturing and the place where our company was founded meant Berlin automatically qualified to be the host city," said Brose director Manfred Seemann, Director Employee and Family Services Human Resources at Brose Group.

"Thirteen boys and seven girls - aged 14 to 17 – enjoyed a unique chance to enhance their technical, intercultural and social skills in a fun and entertaining way."

Brose UK has been present in Coventry since 1989 and currently manufactures seat and door systems for Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo. It has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and now employs nearly 1,000 people across its two plants, including a new £34m extension in Colliery Lane.