Tideway Central volunteers present at London’s huge Big Bang Fair

On Friday 13 July, a team of Tideway Central volunteers set up their stall at Sutton Grammar School, South London, for this year’s Big Bang Fair.

The Big Bang Fair is a UK-wide initiative that engages students in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). It features hands-on exhibits, interactive workshops and a wide range of careers information from local and national employers.

Tideway’s stand was staffed by a mix of disciplines from across the central section of the project -a Ferrovial Agroman Laing O’Rourke (FLO) joint venture- and offered an interactive experience through our industry-acclaimed virtual reality TBM as well as the augmented reality TBM app. This app turns a picture of a TBM into a functional 3D animation of one through a smartphone. Students were also advised on the different roles around the project as well as careers in construction.

The Big Bang Fair plays a vital role in inspiring the UK’s future scientists and engineers at a regional, local and school level. The UK needs many more scientists and engineers and equipping young people with STEM skills is key to their future employability.

A huge thank you goes to the FLO volunteers who made this possible: Juliana Postarini; Barry Major; Noelia Garcia; Mick Walsh; Will Whitehair; and Andrew Pring. Their efforts to both help attract new talent and also contribute to create a talent pool, show their commitment towards the needs of the engineering and construction industry in the UK.

The Thames Tideway project is a 25km super sewer tunnel being constructed to tackle the problem of sewage pollution in the River Thames. The existing Victorian sewer network was designed over 150 years ago for a city of up to 4 million people. Today London’s population is over 8 million and growing fast – the new sewer will provide the capacity that London needs for more than 100 years.