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How to introduce your class to engineering

If you are a teacher looking to encourage your students to think about engineering study, then we have events, activities and digital resources to support you.

Contact us to book an engineering subject talk for your school

Do you have potential engineers in your class?

There's no such thing as a typical engineer.


Aspiring engineers are likely to enjoy maths and science, as well as design and humanities subjects. They'll want to use their creative thinking abilities to apply their knowledge to problems around them. You'll often hear engineers say that from a young age they liked to take things apart, see how they worked and then put them back together again. There's a curiosity, creativity and practicality that's shared across their profession.

The engineers of the next 50 years will need to handle big data, work in interdisciplinary teams and know the right questions to ask. So, communication, collaboration and critical thinking will increasingly form an engineer's skill set. If you have a student who is interested in a career tackling climate change, fighting poverty and coming up with innovative ways to reuse resources, then you might like to suggest engineering as a study option at university.

Key points to highlight

When you are talking with a student about possibly studying engineering at university, these are the key points to include.


A chemical engineering student looks intently at a test tube.

Engineers are at the forefront of tackling climate change and building a sustainable world.

A student in our structures lab undertakes some materials testing.

Engineering is a lucrative career choice with some of the best graduate starting salaries on offer.

A student smiles as he examines his electric racing robot

Engineering students develop a skill set that can be applied to different sectors and industries.

Using our digital resources

We've developed online materials for you to use with your class to help you start a conversation about studying engineering.


We recommend you begin with our Engineering & Design Taster Talk series. These five-minute mini-lectures are designed for your tutor time and cover a range of accessible topics including water, electricity and building design. Alongside each talk, we've put together a classroom discussion activity to consolidate learning outcomes. You can also watch interviews with each of our academic presenters to find out about their backgrounds and career paths.

Next, you can work your way through our What is Engineering? web page for an overview of the discipline before exploring specific subjects with our two-minute introductory videos for chemical engineering, civil engineering, electronic and electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. These videos cover study and careers.

The two-minute introductory subject videos are very useful for us as they sum up the key points, then the students can go away and do further research. As a set of videos, they help to show the overlap between the different disciplines and that whatever engineering subject you take, it will prepare you in a particular way for a similar number of industries. — Kam Stylianou, Deputy Headmistress at The Grammar School in Nicosia, Cyprus

Taster talk series


From ancient architectural concepts to the electronics of the future. Five talks under five minutes for your school class.

Start the series

Subject introductory videos


Our videos will introduce study and careers to your class for chemical engineering, civil engineering, electronic and electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Use our subject introduction videos

Invite us to your school

At Bath, we are keen to share our passion for engineering with your class.


Three students from our WESBath society discuss an engineering prototype.

Contact us to book a ready-made presentation from a member of our team or to discuss a bespoke event. We offer presentations on engineering as a whole, as well as introductions to the engineering disciplines. We can also talk to your class more generally about applying to higher education and writing their statements.

Our Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering has a specialist outreach leader who can work with you to develop a bespoke programme of activities. Many of our student competition teams and societies take part in outreach events at local schools, including our Student Women's Engineering Society (WESBath).


Encourage your students to visit our campus

We offer different experiences for your students to get a taste of life as a student.


Three smiling school pupils undertake a lab test.

Our Widening Participation Team aims to encourage underrepresented groups to consider university study. They run workshops and summer schools with subject-specific focuses. Students may need to qualify for the eligibility criteria to attend these events.

On Track to Bath

This is a free one-year curriculum enhancement programme for students considering Computer Science, Computer Systems Engineering or Electronics. Students take part in collaborative research projects focusing on both hardware and the programming behind it.

Pathway to Bath - Engineering

The Engineering strands of the Pathway to Bath programme for A-Level students support students to make a strong application to the University of Bath. Throughout the year, students undertake online activities and a research project. Each student on the programme will be assigned an e-mentor who is a current student at Bath studying an engineering subject.

Discover Bath Engineering Residentials

This is a chance for students in Year 12 to experience what it's like to live and study engineering at the University of Bath. The four-day programmes include first-year undergraduate lectures, workshops, laboratory experiments and projects.

The University of Bath has information and guidance on the undergraduate application process for teachers.

Find more resources

Contact us

Get in touch to discuss how we can work together.