Education Today Education Today Magazine
Baxi volunteers have helped nearly 1,400 primary school pupils build working engineering projects as part of the company’s fifth year supporting children’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning through Primary Engineer.
The 2025-2026 partnership marks the start of a new expanded 3-year programme between Baxi and Primary Engineer, funded by the BDR Thermea Foundation, the owner of Baxi’s parent company BDR Thermea.
The first part of the Baxi/Primary Engineer partnership consists of the construction programme, curriculum-linked engineering projects for participating primary schools across Preston and Warwick that encourage pupils to design, build and present their ideas.
This year, with the help of their teachers and 21 Baxi volunteers, pupils at 25 participating primary schools in Preston and Warwick were tasked with building tipper trucks out of shoeboxes and lighthouse towers with working electrical circuits.
In April, a selection of the children had the opportunity to present the results of their hard work to the Baxi volunteers at the Celebration events held at Claydon Green Sports Centre (Preston area) and University of Warwick (Warwick area).
Natasha Kinnear, Head of Partnerships at Primary Engineer, said: “There is something truly wonderful about seeing young girls passionately engage with our Primary Engineer Construction Programme. You witness firsthand the resilience they show if their design fails and the pure magic when it works. While the ‘buzz’ of winning a prize and the joy of our celebration days are highlights, the real impact lies beyond these moments. Our approach is about creating lasting memories, developing skills and opening doors to these girls.”
The second part of the Baxi/Primary Engineer 3-year partnership is the UK-wide ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ STEM competition in which Baxi are a regional partner for the Lancashire and West Central England regions. For this initiative, pupils aged 3 to 19 are invited to engage with engineering and technology professionals and design innovative solutions to real word problems.
BDR Thermea Program & Partner Manager Robert Van Roijen along with Baxi representatives including MD Jason Baldock, Operations Director Darren Ingram and Transformation Director Jacqueline Taylor were involved in the final judging stages held this April. With so much creativity, innovation and passion on display, grading the innovations was no easy task. The winning designs will be celebrated later in the year at 25 regional Award Ceremonies.
The Primary Engineer activities are designed to introduce children to engineering and engineering professionals, and to spark curiosity and creativity among the participants. Baxi’s partnership with Primary Engineer builds on its sponsorship with WorldSkills UK and support for the Future Skyline Skills Commitment to encourage diversity and early engagement in engineering.
An impact report produced by Primary Engineer on the school engineering projects revealed that an impressive 100% of the teachers involved reported an increase in their understanding of engineering. Thanks to Primary Engineer’s training and the Baxi volunteers’ support, they also reported a better understanding of diversity challenges in engineering, and a stronger recognition of how including engineering in the curriculum can benefit their pupils.
All the participating teachers agreed that Primary Engineer’s training helped them understand how to make an impact on engineering career aspirations and left them with an increased confidence in teaching STEM subjects.
Carolyn Sidebotham, Head of Learning and Development at Baxi UK and Ireland, said: “Primary Engineer is a fantastic initiative for getting kids excited about STEM topics. It’s wonderful to be able to introduce the next generation to subjects that are increasingly vital to society. Through our partnership with Primary Engineer and our other early careers initiatives, we aim to inspire a long-term interest in STEM at a young age to help shape the more inclusive, diverse generation of engineers that our industry needs.”
