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| Stephen Metcalfe MP with
Amy Tilbury, Bill Braybrook and Simon Tween |
Last
week Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, welcomed
two young engineering apprentices from Basildon to ‘Voice of the Future 2013’
at the Houses of Parliament.
The
event, organised by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and
the Society of Biology, gave young scientists and engineers from across the
country the opportunity to participate in a Science Question Time with
Ministers and MPs.
MPs
and Ministers gave up their normal seats around the committee table and were
instead required to give evidence to the young people in attendance. Science
Minister David Willetts faced tough questions on tuition fees, immigration and
tackling inequality in UK science, while Sir John Beddington was asked about
key issues such as climate change, food security and the recent horse meat
scandal.
Two
young engineers, Amy Tilbury and Billy Braybrook, from Basildon based
agricultural engineering company New Holland, proudly represented South
Basildon and East Thurrock in the proceedings which were broadcast live on BBC
Parliament.
Mr
Metcalfe commented: “I was delighted that Amy and Billy could join me in
Parliament for Voice of the Future 2013. I am extremely passionate about
getting young people interested in science and engineering and this prestigious
event proved to be a fantastic means of promoting the subjects. It also gave the young people an insight into the importance of science in
Parliament.”
Mr
Simon Tween, Maintenance Coordinator of New Holland Agriculture said: “At the
invitation of Stephen Metcalfe MP, it was my privilege to accompany two
of my apprentices to the Voice of the Future event held at the House of Commons
last week. The event allowed the apprentices a glimpse into the workings
of government and to gain a better understanding of the issues affecting young
engineers and scientists in Academia and Manufacturing. The opportunity
to question MP’s and Ministers of Government at Westminster was an experience
they will not forget.”
One
of the key themes of the day was how to promote gender equality in a field
which, as Minister David Willets conceded, is currently dominated by men.
Innovative organisation ‘ScienceGRRL’ were in attendance to champion female
scientists and to highlight the extraordinary opportunities available to women
in STEM careers.
Mr
Metcalfe added: “ScienceGRRL is a fantastic organisation and I was really
pleased to see them in attendance at the event. We need to bring some more
diversity into the STEM workforce and their efforts play a vital role in
inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers to reach their
potential in a field that is only going to grow in importance.”
To
watch the full video of ‘Voice of the Future 2013’, follow this link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/news/voice-of-the-future-2013/
