Reaching out to high school students with the power of renewable energy

The development of technology is at an all time high but, unfortunately, interest in engineering and technology courses and subsequent careers is alarmingly low. This dilemma has been attributed, in part, to school-leavers having little idea about what engineers actually do. Outreach programs in middle and high schools have had great success in filling the void in knowledge about engineering. Some programs present encouraging results in this regard. This paper describes the API funded Energy in Schools project which has been designed to attract students to engineering (particularly power), and considers the impact of outreach and mentoring activities.