Great British Bake Off finalist Andrew Smyth – who is also an aerospace engineer – has helped to engineer the perfect Christmas gingerbread house.
Smyth, who designs jet engines for Rolls-Royce, has teamed up with the Institution of Engineering and Technology and ITN Productions to produce a short film to help inspire the next generation of engineers.
In the film, he talks about his career in engineering and the need to inspire more young people to become engineers. The film also shows him working with three young people to make a gingerbread house, explaining the links between engineering and baking.
“To be able to show what an engineer can do outside of work and to break some stereotypes has been really great,” said Smyth. “I’m really enthusiastic about reaching out to young people and showing what a career in engineering can offer.”
He added: “I’d say to young people, if you are curious about how the world works or questioning why something is the way it is, and you want to make a difference, then engineering is absolutely the career for you.”
The IET said it hopes that by showing how engineering and baking cross over, it will help capture the imagination and curiosity of young people.
Demand for engineering in the UK far exceeds supply, the IET added, with only 9% of UK engineers women. Research commissioned by the institution shows that 54% of children said they didn’t know anything about engineering careers.
The IET film featuring Smyth can be viewed here.
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