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Promoting plastics to pupils: Teachers invited to undertake polymer study

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Universities across the UK are once again opening their doors to secondary school teachers to help them garner knowledge of the plastics industry that they can take back to the classroom.

The ‘Polymer Study Tours’, which have been running for 28 years and have seen some 2,900 teachers attend, is a vital link between industry and academia in passing on information and insight that could both attract and encourage students to choose a career in plastics.

Bookings are now being taken for the 2015 tours at Manchester, Edinburgh Napier and London Metropolitan Universities, which will see delegates complete a four-day residential course combining site visits, case studies and laboratory demonstrations.

Organised by the Worshipful Company of Horners, the courses are designed to provide secondary school teachers with case studies that they can use in contextual teaching of both science and design technology. They bring together teachers from both disciplines so that they have the opportunity to meet in an informal environment to exchange views on the teaching of this cross curricula subject.

“The whole programme was well organised, extremely interesting and very enjoyable. I have been made STEM coordinator at my school, and as a chemistry teacher, my understanding of polymers has always been very chemistry-based without the technology angle. However, the polymer study tour opened my eyes to the relationship between the properties of polymers and how they can then be processed into different product,” explained one delegate from the 2014 Study Tours.

The courses are free to attend for teachers and costs are covered by generous sponsorship or donations. If you, or your company, could help sponsor the Tours, please contact Liveryman Ed Weeks, Chairman of the organising committee, for more information (ed.weeks@ntlworld.com mobile 07831344823).

For those wishing to encourage their local school(s) to participate, or know a teacher that would like to take part, the 2015 dates are as follows: 

Further information is also available by clicking here. 

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