BCF Blog: Coatings Ambassador Training

By Wayne Smith, Director of Regulatory Affairs  

I recently had the opportunity to take part in a training day for those members of our industry who are interested in encouraging more young people into the science, and more appropriately the coatings sector. The one-day event, hosted at the BCF offices, was run by Cogent Skills for BCF, RSC and PRA members.

Coatings Ambassadors are a network of professionals from the industry, who are trained to speak to school-aged children, teachers, careers advisors, and at University events across the country to promote our industry to young people.

The Coatings Ambassadors training session I attended was a well-organised, very enjoyable event that ran through the skills needed to present to children, the resources available and the safety and child protection issues needed to speak to, enthuse and inspire the next generation of scientists. We took part in a number of the practical activities that certainly gave me the knowledge and confidence to become an Ambassador.

The Science Industry Partnership (SIP) have created a complete resource pack to help Ambassadors deliver an effective presentation within schools, engaging students with practical activities focused on the science behind coatings.

Now all I have to do is pluck up the courage to approach my local school for the chance to put into practice what I have learned! The commitment of Ambassadors is to participate in at least one careers event per year.

There will be another opportunity to get involved in this very worthwhile activity on December 11^th at the BCF Coventry HQ.