plugin2engineering has been designed to support the teaching of electricity at Key Stages 3 and 4 by helping students to see how their classroom learning has applications in the real world.

Electricity can be one of the most abstract elements of the science curriculum for students to grasp, and we hope that the activities created and supporting equipment will help to encourage a better understanding of the principles of electricity and their application.

As with other engineering-based industries, the steadily declining interest in the sciences over recent years has translated into the electrical distribution industry witnessing a shortage of young talented individuals attracted to pursuing careers within its field.

The challenge to raise the appeal of the sciences, as well as the somewhat negative perception amongst young people of engineering as a profession, has been the driving factor behind our investment into the plugin2engineering programme.

Based around the creation of a small housing development, called Greenviews, the activities throughout the programme seek to encourage students to consider electricity as not just a topic to be remembered for an exam, but as a source of power upon which we depend for light and heat as well as to power appliances we use everyday for business, home and leisure.

We hope that by participating in plugin2engineering students will see how the principles they are learning in school are used everyday by Central Networks employees and, through this, some may consider an apprenticeship as they explore their future careers options.

plugin2engineering was piloted at the National School, Nottingham; Turves Green Girls School, Birmingham and Mathew Boulton College, Birmingham, and we are grateful to the staff and students of each for their valuable support and insights at each stage.

We hope very much that you, as an education partner, find plugin2engineering a valuable and enjoyable complement to your teaching. plugin2engineering goes beyond classroom learning, and we hope that you will also choose to benefit from the other support activities, details of which are provided on these pages.

The programme has the support of Phil Hope MP, Skills Minister who commented, "It's vital that exciting new schemes like this engage young people with industry and raise the profile of key sectors of the economy."