The Government’s Year of Engineering campaign has teamed up with Marvel comics to launch a set of educational resources called More Heroes Needed. The scheme bids to help KS2 students, aged from seven to 11, to identify the superhero qualities required – resilience, resourcefulness, curiosity, etc – to solve our most pressing global challenges.
More Heroes Needed features favourites such as the Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, the Wasp and Iron Man, and includes such resources as:
- An aptitude test Helping young people identify which superhero they share the most qualities with, and how these would suit a career in engineering
- Real life superhero case studies Featuring the aspirational stories of engineers
- A curriculum linked lesson To help teachers running the superhero session with fun classroom activities, including role-play challenges
The aims are to challenge engineering stereotypes, encourage a re-evaluation of gender roles in science, technology, engineering and maths careers, and show young people that they can playing a vital role in tackling complex global issues.
Nusrat Ghani, Minister for the Year of Engineering, said: “The characters who inhabit the Marvel universe are famed for achieving amazing things against all odds; something engineers do on a daily basis.
“Whether it’s tackling the problems of climate change, helping to provide clean water and energy in developing nations, or using technology to help us live healthier, more independent lives, the engineering profession is full of its very own superheroes.
“I’m certain these resources will encourage many young people to look again at their own amazing abilities and realise that, while they may never possess the strength of the Hulk, they could one day move mountains as an engineer.”
Since the start of last year, the government has worked with more than 1,400 partners – from Apple and LEGO, to FIFA and the Science Museum – to help young people take a closer look at engineering.
Research carried out after the first six months of the campaign show found that the percentage of seven-11 year olds who would consider a career in engineering had increased by 36 per cent since 2017.
For further information, visit yearofengineering.gov.uk
