OnPath Energy engineers visited a primary school in Tees Valley to mark International Women in Engineering Day and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals.
Electrical engineers Leah Pearson and Hannah Bartram spoke to more than 200 pupils aged five to 11 at St Bede’s Catholic Academy in Stockton, sharing insights about their careers and giving children the chance to build paper windmills.
“Fewer than one in six engineers in the UK are women,” said Pearson. “We wanted to celebrate the amazing work female engineers are doing and encourage more North East girls-and boys-to think about the future STEM careers that are open to them.”
Headquartered in Sunderland, OnPath Energy owns and operates Lambs Hill and Moor House wind farms near the school. Together, the two sites generated over 56,000MWh in 2024, enough to power 19,300 homes.
Both wind farms also contributed more than £51,000 last year to community benefit funds supporting local initiatives.
Bartram and Pearson’s visit formed part of OnPath’s community engagement strategy, OnPath Together, which prioritises local inclusion and education.
“It’s helped open their eyes a little bit wider,” said St Bede’s headteacher Bernadette Rizzi-Allen. “Having wonderful female engineers here has been empowering for the girls and boys.”
Pearson added: “We had an amazing reception from everyone at St Bede’s. We’d love to think that some of the pupils we spoke to-especially the girls-will be among the engineers of the future.”
Pictured: (from left) St Bede’s Academy headteacher Bernadette Rizzi-Allan, Year Five pupils Angel, Sara and Iris, and OnPath Energy electrical engineer Leah Pearson.