The UWE MAKERS project has been going from strength to strength since it first launched in September last year to help improve belonging for diverse engineering students at UWE Bristol, through developing connections with local Maker and Repair communities in the region.
The project is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and aims to support diverse students to continue their careers within engineering. Student feedback has helped the team to develop more employability benefits and direct industry links.
Networking opportunities
During the UWE Repair Café, students now get to work alongside STEM Ambassadors from Industry and Community Volunteers from the Bristol Repair Café Network, many of which are retired engineers themselves. This is a great way to meet and learn from experienced professionals, and connect over hands-on repair, whilst supporting the wider community and the University’s sustainability goals.
Free repair kit to take home
Once students have attended 5 MAKERS events, they can choose between a Hobbycraft Voucher, a Basic Household Repair toolkit, an electronics Device Repair Toolkit, which can be used alongside the freely available IFixIt Repair Guides. This is to enable them to apply their skills and learning at home, acquiring more confidence and practice in doing so.
Digital Skills Badges
MAKERS student volunteers earn digital Skills Badges, which can be used on LinkedIn profile and other social channels to help showcase any relevant skills earned, whilst also enabling badge earners to see job postings requiring those skills.
There are three types of badges: bronze, silver, and gold, depending on the level of involvement in the MAKERS project.
Repair Group and Technician Repair Support
MAKERS students can access technician support and facilities to help grow their repair skills and confidence. This includes the electronic maker space, the 3D printing facilities, and the fitting shop, with all the available tools. There are also a number of sewing machines and an overlocker available to use by those with an interest in textile repair.
Demonstrable Green Skills
The MAKERS project works with the Restart Project to measure their environmental impact, in particular in terms of how much waste has been saved from landfill, and how many CO2 emissions have the saved.
Get involved in MAKERS:
Students who would like to get involved can sign up here.
We particularly encourage women and students from Black, Asian and racially minoritised backgrounds to get in touch!