Dubai, UAE - November 25, 2019:  Hundreds of young Kuwaiti students are set to receive first-hand teaching and instruction about Renewable Energy at a special five-day workshop taking place this week at Kuwait University.

The programme – established by the Ministry of Education in Kuwait, the British Council, BAE Systems and Kuwait University – will promote crucial subjects in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to Kuwaiti students.

The workshop was officially inaugurated on Sunday by Michael Davenport, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the State of Kuwait; Osama Al Sultan, Assistant Undersecretary for General Education in the Ministry of Education; and Muna Al Ansari and Shekha Al Hajraf, General Supervisors for Mathematics and Science in the Ministry of Education.

Mr. Osama Al Sultan, Assistant Undersecretary for General Education, Ministry of Education, said: “We are delighted to launch and host another fantastic five day STEM workshop for young Kuwaiti students and to provide vital support in their learning journey, especially in such an exciting and important area as renewable energy.

“We look forward to seeing their progress during the week and putting them on a path to careers in the world of STEM.”

BAE Systems’ engineers, who work on the company’s world-leading aircraft and aerospace technologies, will spend the next five days teaching and guiding the students at the special workshop sessions.

Mr. Michael Davenport, UK Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, said: “There are very deep ties between the United Kingdom and Kuwait, and the week-long STEM workshop at Kuwait University will strengthen these ties even further. 

“The two countries collaborate across many different sectors, particularly education, and we look forward to inspiring many of these young people to pursuing a career in the STEM sector in the years ahead.”

Mr. Julian Donald, Managing Director Middle East, BAE Systems, commented: “There is a world of fascinating careers that await young people today which are linked to STEM subjects, and being an engineer of a jet aircraft is just one of many opportunities out there.

“BAE Systems continuously works to promote STEM through its work designing the next generation of aircrafts, engineering submarines and even using virtual reality technology to help some of the world's top athletes.

“The relationship between the UK and Kuwait stretches back generations and BAE Systems has been a close partner for many years, and so we’re delighted to help inspire young Kuwaitis who are the future of this nation.”

The BAE Systems engineering team, drawn from teams in the United Kingdom, Bahrain and Oman, will provide the students with insights into STEM, followed by a more focused look into Renewable Energy and its significance within Kuwait.

The students will then put their learning into practice and take part in the Renewable Energy challenge during which they will have to correctly answer a series of questions to gain funding to acquire parts of a wind turbine. The first group to successfully construct the turbine and test it will win the challenge.

Heba Elzein, Head of Partnership and Programmes at the British Council in Kuwait, added: “Inspiring the next generation of young people to fulfil their ambitions is a value shared by the UK and Kuwait, and one which is at the heart of Kuwait's Vision 2035 ambitions.

“By opening the eyes of young people to the opportunities offered by the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, we can help them to get the skills they need to be the nation's future leaders.

“This year we celebrate 120 years of partnership between the UK and Kuwait and through initiatives like these workshops we continue to deepen this special relationship for many years to come.”

The STEM workshop at Kuwait University follows a successful BAE Systems STEM event earlier in the year for Kuwaiti school-age students which focused on the theory of flight.

BAE Systems opened an office in the grounds of the UK Embassy in Kuwait last year as part of its commitment to deliver greater support across air, land, maritime and cyber domains, supporting existing products as well as delivering new capabilities.