Who wants to be a footballer – when you can be a water jetting engineer?

Water Jetting Association member Flowplant has amazed school pupils and may even have persuaded some not to become professional footballers thanks to a very successful open day.

The company held the event to introduce 10- and 11-year-old primary school pupils to the world of engineering and other manufacturing jobs at its HQ and factory in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The 30 children were given a tour of the factory floor, a demonstration of high pressure water jetting and a talk by Flowplant Group Managing Director Steve Smith during their visit.

Shaping future careers

“There is only one thing that matches my passion for engineering, and that’s encouraging young people to take an interest in it as well,” said Steve Smith, who is also a member of the WJA Board.

“This is the third year we’ve held an open day for Year 6 children from a local primary school. We chose that age because it’s a good age to give pupils ideas that could shape future career decisions.”

WJA Director Leanne Smith praised Flowplant for holding the open day, during which five of the company’s colleagues were involved in guiding the school party during their visit.

She said: “This is a great example of a WJA member engaging with the community about the great work they do, and the contribution they make to the local economy and the water jetting industry.

“School leavers and job seekers need know about the very rewarding careers in the water jetting industry. Steve and his team at Flowplant show what can be done to raise awareness of what’s on offer.”

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On the ball – favourite jobs

However, Flowplant, which is a leading manufacturer of water jetting pumps, faced a tough challenge persuading pupils to divert from their current hoped for careers.

Steve Smith said: “I asked the children what they wanted to do when they left school and the most popular choice was to be a footballer. This year, for the first time, some also wanted to be social media influencers.

“Becoming vets and architects also featured. Unfortunately, being an engineer was lower down the favourite jobs list. However, that’s what the open day was for, to sew seeds for a broader perspective when careers are considered later in life.”

The children were accompanied by teachers and teacher assistants, so Flowplant hopes the adults in the group will take up roles as engineering career influencers as their children get older.

Exciting engineering choices

The 30 pupils were split into two groups and all got to take part in organised activities, which included having a go at assembling water jetting equipment, then seeing a water jetting demonstration.

Steve Smith said: “The children loved the demonstration. We were using a jetting gun at 4,000 psi and showed what the jet could do to a butternut squash, a can of coke and a raw chicken.

“In my talk, I reminded them how the demonstration showed water jets are powerful and need to be treated with a great deal of care as part of a wider talk about exciting aspects of engineering.

“If a single pupil eventually wanted to come and work for us, that would be fantastic. But, getting young people interested in any manufacturing or engineering career would be a great result.”