Where do I go next?
Colleges
The following colleges all provide courses which can further your study of resistant materials.
Burnley College http://www.burnley.ac.uk/
Thomas Whitham Sixth Form College http://www.thomaswhithamsixthform.lancs.sch.uk/
Myerscough http://www.myerscough.ac.uk/
Universities
Complete University Guide http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings
The Complete University Guide is a useful site allowing you to rank the top universities by subject - so you can see which are the best universities to go to for Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Apprenticeships
Engineering Construction Industry Training Board http://www.ecitb.org.uk/apprenticeships/
Provides information about apprenticeships in Engineering Construction.
Apprenticeships.com http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/types-of-apprenticeships/engineering-and-manufacturing-technologies.aspx
Provides information and links to apprenticeships in the Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies.
Other Useful Websites
Tomorrow's Engineers http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/
A fantastic website for information and resources about the amazing careers available in engineering. In particular, there is a really good list of Engineering and Science attractions around Britain with a good selection of attractions in the North West which Able and Talented Engineers will enjoy -http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/Outside_the_classroom/
Famous Engineers
Rowan Atkinson
He might be better known for his roles on Not The Nine ‘o’Clock News, Blackadder and Mr Bean, but did you know that Rowan Atkinson studied Engineering at University? At Oxford, no less?
Born and educated in Durham, it was actually his time as a postgraduate at Queens College that encouraged Atkinson to go into acting. As well as completing his Engineering MSc, he also wrote and performed sketches for the Oxford University Theatres Society (OUTS) as well as the Experiemental Theatre Group (ETC), which led to his meeting with Blackadder writer Richard Curtis.
No, we can’t exactly imagine Mr Bean wandering the ancient halls of Oxford either...
Leonardo DaVinci
He is most famous for his artistic creations (The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa, to name but a few), but Leonardo DaVinci was also a mechanical genius. His notebook contained mechanical sketches and plans for a wide range of inventions, from a flying machines and tanks to musical instruments and bridge designs.
DaVinci did not attend University, but studied engineering himself while training as an artist under Andrea del Verrocchio. He moved to Milan in 1483 and worked as an engineer and sculptor for the ruling Sforza family.
However, DaVinci was very secretive about his work and he wrote in mirror script (reverse writing) to protect some of his more sensitive designs. In the 20th Century when engineers tried to recreate some of his work, it was suggested that minute, yet pivotal, details had been omitted from the images in order to prevent them falling into the wrong hands!
Alfred Hitchcock
Like Rowan Atkinson, Alfred Hitchcock started his career as a mechanic before entering the world of show business. After studying at the London County Council School of Engineering and Navigation in Poplar, London, he became a draftsman and designer with a cable company called Henley’s. It was while he was working here that his creative side was given the chance to shine, and he was a regular contributor to the company’s in-house publication – The Henley Telegraph.
Neil Armstrong
“One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” is probably one of the most famous phrases of the 20th century, and was televised across the world thanks to Neil Armstrong.
An engineering graduate of Purdue University 1955, Neil Armstrong is most famous for being the first man on the moon. Although he was selected for the space mission in 1962, it wasn’t until 1969 that NASA finally managed to complete their lunar mission.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford is most famous for founding Ford, one of the leading global car manufacturers. However, Ford didn’t always live life in the board room – he actually started out on the floor of the factory as a mechanical engineer.
In 1896, his employer encouraged him to experiment with different mechanical production techniques, and the pair then went into business manufacturing cars.