March

Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) was a major theme of March, with the Big Bang Fair and Flying Start Challenge taking place.

This year at the Big Bang Fair – the biggest STEM event for young people (aged 7-19) in the UK – we once again sponsored and exhibited, engaging with hundreds of primary and secondary school pupils. Visitors were able to test their skills on our powerful and lightweight Rampaging Chariots robots, take a selfie using our thermal imagery cameras, learn how helicopters fly and solve our K’nex challenge in partnership with the Smallpeice Trust. The event was also the first outing of the year of the #TeamTempest concept model. Leonardo is one of the ‘big four’ British engineering companies which comprise Team Tempest alongside the UK MOD, and the model attracted huge interest throughout all three days, inspiring young engineers to become part of #GenerationTempest.

Meanwhile, the Flying Start Challenge (FSC) took place in the South West, with the aim of inspiring students to get involved with engineering and aviation. We are proud to be one of the FSC sponsors, with our STEM Ambassadors working closely with school teams in the Yeovil region to design, build and test a model glider that they will present at the regional Fly-Off. Regional winners then took part in the Flying Start grand final at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, won by the ‘Flying Ninjas’ from Cotham School.

The STEM theme also fed into National and Scottish Apprenticeship Week from 4-8 March, where the focus was on the opportunities that apprenticeships provide and the significant contribution that apprentices make to our business.

On 8 March, Leonardo’s people celebrated International Women’s Day, designed to break down stereotypes and help forge a more gender-balanced world. This also tied in with the establishment of our Equalise network group which strives for gender equality within Leonardo’s workforce, around career development and opportunities.