CAR manufacturer Nissan has opened its doors to thousands of children in a bid to inspire the next generation of engineers.

The Japanese giant is showing 2,500 children aged between 11 and 13 around its plant in Sunderland as part of the Government’s See Inside Manufacturing programme.

The programme of events across the UK car industry is aimed at boosting the image of manufacturing and encouraging more young people to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Nissan has also held events for teachers and parents from the North East and has invited guests to its technical centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.

Business Secretary Vince Cable admitted that “ for too many young people the word ‘manufacturing’ is a turn-off”.

He said: “A worrying poll out recently found that only one out of 10 children aged 11 to 14 thought that engineering was an important job and even ranked being a politician as a better choice of career. We are determined to shake up old-fashioned views of manufacturing. Through the Government’s See Inside Manufacturing campaign and Nissan’s events at Sunderland and Cranfield, we are giving young people the chance to see the exciting face of modern manufacturing which is highly skilled, hi- tech and highly paid.”

The visits have seen children watch Nissan’s Qashqai, Juke and Note being made on the production line. They also took part in educational games and found out how engineers have improved the manufacturing process at the plant over its 25-year history.

The event is targeted at children before they choose their GCSE subjects.

Nissan’s plant engineering director at Sunderland Richard Ebrahim said: “Nearly everything that we use in our daily lives involves an engineer – whether it’s designing, building or testing.

“British engineers are behind some of the world’s most iconic inventions and Nissan is very proud of the contribution that our engineers have made to this tradition, with their innovation, excellence and a ‘can-do, will-do’ attitude.

“We want to inspire students who are considering which GCSE subjects to choose, by showing them that a career in engineering and advanced manufacturing is a diverse, exciting and rewarding choice.”

Any schools wanting to take part in next year’s Nissan Schools’ Engineering Discovery Event should contact Dawn Waugh on 0191 415 2764 or email dawn.waugh@nissan-nmuk.co.uk