Future Brunels 2024: A year of discovery
The next generation of engineers have been harnessing their skills with days out led by exciting organisations.
The SS Great Britain Trust’s Future Brunel’s programme, is a five-year STEM learning programme which aims to address inequality and barriers into engineering and STEM careers. This year the Future Brunels spent time exploring and learning from experts at a host of Bristol-based companies.
A group of Future Brunels had the thrilling opportunity to go behind the scenes at Aardman. The studios are based only a stone’s throw away from the SS Great Britain Trust and the young people had a fantastic day meeting people from different departments and learning about what goes into creating award-winning animations.
‘We welcomed the Future Brunels into Aardman to help give these bright, open and enthusiastic students insights into how STEM subjects contribute to the Creative Industries. We are passionate about opening Aardman’s doors to show the variety of careers to break down barriers to entry. Each department that joined the Future Brunels shared stories about their journeys within the Creative Industries, opening the student’s eyes to the rich variety of jobs within Aardman and routes to entry. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting them, and feel proud to have been given the chance to inspire young future creatives within STEM.’

Their creative solutions and teamwork during the prototyping activity, coupled with their problem-solving abilities in the robotics task, showcased the curiosity and ingenuity we strive to inspire.
Representatives from Dyson also joined the Future Brunels on board. In a hands-on workshop they were challenged to create innovative solutions to problems, working in groups to showcase their teamworking skills.
“The James Dyson Foundation was delighted to host the workshop with the Future Brunels programme. It was inspiring to see Year 11 students approach real-world challenges like air pollution with such creativity and enthusiasm. Their creative solutions and teamwork during the prototyping activity, coupled with their problem-solving abilities in the robotics task, showcased the curiosity and ingenuity we strive to inspire. It was a pleasure to be part of this initiative, and we look forward to seeing these students continue to innovate and engineer solutions for the future.”

2024 was rounded up with a creative collaboration between SS Great Britain and Renishaw. The Future Brunels went to the Reinshaw headquarters and were taught how to design and print their very own 3D baubles. These were then proudly displayed on a spectacular 26-foot Christmas tree in Brunel Square during December.
Lucy Spiteri-Beale, STEM tutor at Renishaw, explains the importance of this initiative: “By inviting students into our headquarters, we give them real-world experience in STEM and engineering. These types of activities not only spark their creativity but also introduce them to potential early career opportunities in engineering. Students who participated in previous Future Brunels programmes have decided to pursue engineering as a career path, which is incredibly rewarding.”

The Future Brunels programme supported 72 young people in 2024 and will continue to nurture the skills and confidence of these young people in 2025. The SS Great Britain Trust looks forward to seeing and celebrating what they achieve in the year ahead.