Global engineering-technologies company Renishaw (www.renishaw.com) recently hosted a local Brownie group at its Miskin site in South Wales to help them earn a new badge in engineering, by means of a design project that involved three sessions.

In the first session, the Brownies designed their name badges by hand, to include their name and the Brownie logo; the following week, they were given a tour of the factory, then transferred their images from paper to a digital format, using computer-aided design (and saw some of their designs realised on a 3-D printer).

Finally, Sarah Lewis — the fabrication development centre tutor at the Miskin site — visitedthe Brownie group to to deliver the finished pin badges for their uniforms.

Simon Biggs, education liaison officer at Renishaw, said: “By getting girls interested in engineering during extra-curricular activities, we hope to get them thinking about the opportunities available in engineering careers.

“Other groups are approaching us, asking how they can get a new badge in engineering. The prospect of competition has encouraged more groups to ask for sessions at Renishaw, supporting our aim to get more children excited about engineering.”