UK engineer shares knowledge with island students

Sunday 21 July 2024

Ladies’ College has welcomed a UK engineer called Katie Protheroe to the island, who has helped promote STEM initiatives by leading activities based on sustainable energy generation.

During Alternative Curriculum Week GCSE students at Ladies’ College worked closely with Katie, who provided miniature fixed and floating wind turbine kits, guiding students through the planning and installation, and fixing process.

Katie works as an engineer at Osbit, a part of the Venterra Group, a company dedicated to supporting and building sustainable energy sources in the form of wind farms in over 30 countries across the world.

She has worked around the globe installing sustainable energy farms, and spoke to the students about what needed to be taken into account when planning the installation of a wind farm.

She said there is a range of opportunities available to girls interested in pursuing a career within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths).

“There's a whole host of opportunities just within this one sector and so many areas to think about – from turbine engineering to seabed protection and corporate roles within the industry.”

Students also heard from Guernsey Electricity on how and why the island currently generates electricity, in addition to the importance of sustainability and options available on Guernsey to diversify the way we create electricity.

Dr Karen Marshall, Head of Science at The Ladies’ College, emphasised the importance of the visit for students. 

“These are our future engineers… and seeing the tangible results of their efforts, has truly ignited a passion for STEM in our students. It's about inspiring them to think creatively and understand the real-world applications of their studies”