Sandwell Academy Student meets The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Following the successful completion of her six week Nuffield Research Placement with Jaguar Land Rover at Warwick University, Jasreet Kaur a current Year 13 Sandwell Academy student was invited to attend a Media event which took place on Wednesday 22 November at Lode Lane, Solihull as her project and conduct during the six weeks had made a great impression on her mentor.

Jasreet was tasked with mapping key competitors in the area of replacement technologies for Lithium-ion batteries, which included researching what types of materials these companies were investing money in as well as what their main areas of research

This project was heavily research based and required close attention to detail, a tenacious attitude to seeking out new information, as well as high level organisational skills. Jasreet concluded her project by delivering an excellent presentation to her peers / mentors / colleagues and attending the Nuffield Celebration event. Jasreet gained many benefits from this placement, one of them being a more in- depth understanding of the different careers in engineering.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talked to Jasreet about the content of her project and what she had gained from the experience, as well as asking if she would recommended the Nuffield programme to other young people. They especially wanted to hear from young women who are considering a career in engineering as this is traditionally a male dominated sector.

Jasreet has found this experience had been “thoroughly enjoyable” and it has showed her the benefits that hard work can give you and has also provided valuable work experience. She would definitely recommend doing the Nuffield Research placements to anyone”

Peter Brown the Nuffield placement co-ordinator and STEM ambassador who is based at Warwick University said the “Jasreet was chosen as she was not only technically good but is also confident in presenting and has good communication skills”. Following the event Jasreet said she felt “Inspired” to talk to other people within the business to find out more and begin the build her network on contacts.

Ian Williams, Headteacher, commented “Jasreet has demonstrated fantastic skill and drive; attributes that will prove invaluable to her future career path.”