Southeastern Railway has partnered with educational not-for-profit organisation Primary Engineer to introduce primary school children to the world of engineering.
Throughout 2025, Southeastern is joining the rest of the railway in celebrating Railway 200, which commemorates 200 years of the passenger railway in the UK. Overall, Railway 200 aims to attract people who hadn’t previously considered a career in the railway.
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Southeastern’s work with Primary Engineer has introduced children from ten Kent primary schools to the world of engineering in the rail industry. The Primary Engineer Rail Programme is inspiring pupils in Thanet to consider engineering as a future career. It provides schools and teachers with knowledge and skills to encourage their pupils to explore the field from an early age.
The partnership, which launched for the first time in January this year, brought together ten Southeastern engineers from the Ramsgate depot and 16 teachers from primary schools in Thanet. Primary Engineer provided specialist kit and training for the project and 60 pupils worked in pairs to build 30 innovative model trains.
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The initiative culminated recently, when the ten participating schools showcased their designs at Ramsgate Leisure Centre. The younger children created shoebox locomotives, with the older pupils adding a motorised element to their model trains.
Before the awards ceremony, children had the opportunity to discuss their designs with Southeastern engineers who were acting as judges. Awards were presented in categories including Best Themed Design and Best Communicator.
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‘This initiative has been a fantastic opportunity to engage with local primary schools and show young people the fun and future they could have working on the railway,’ said Thomas Neve, an apprentice engineer at Southeastern. ‘I really enjoyed helping the students design and build their model trains, and it was great to see them in action at the celebration event in Ramsgate. One of the highlights for me was going back to my old school and reconnecting with some of my former teachers. Overall, it’s been a really rewarding experience watching the children grow in confidence and develop new skills.’
‘Partnerships like this are vital for inspiring the engineers of tomorrow. The creativity and enthusiasm we’ve seen from these primary school children has been remarkable, and we’re delighted that Primary Engineer has given us the platform to connect with young people and show them that engineering is an exciting, rewarding career path,’ said Steve Foster, people and culture director at Southeastern. ‘There are incredible opportunities for engineering careers right here across the whole Southeastern network. Initiatives like this help us showcase the diverse and fulfilling future that awaits in our industry.’
‘The partnership with Southeastern has been fantastic, enabling us to work with teachers and pupils in Thanet and to enable pupils to develop skills and identify themselves with engineering and the rail sector,’ said Chris Rochester, head of partnerships at Primary Engineer. ‘The Southeastern engineers have been superb and have been provided with meaningful opportunities to work with pupils in the classroom alongside teachers to inspire young people who could in a few years’ time be the next generation of Southeastern engineering professionals.’