An Oxfordshire couple are looking to play their part in reducing the UK's engineering shortage this summer.

Chris and Karen King have launched a series of summer holiday camps aimed at introducing engineering to children aged six to 14.

The programme, the Young Engineers, was initially an after-school club but has partnered with Oxford Active, a holiday clubs provider, as the husband and wife team look to broaden their reach.

The clubs are scheduled to run at Summer Fields School in Summertown on July 24-26, August 7-9, and August 21-23.

Mr King has been an engineer for 20 years and is "passionate about the subject".

He said: "With an expanding array of career paths now open to children, it is important to demonstrate to students the excitement and fulfilment a career in engineering can offer.

"We are in dire need of more young engineers to enter the profession."

Mrs King added: "The world is changing and more and more women are now looking to engineering as a career.

"A recent study analysing UCAS data by Employment Lawyers Richard Nelson LLP, showed a 96 per cent increase in women applying for undergraduate engineering degrees from 2011 to 2021.

The last 10 years has seen a rise in women studying engineeringThe last 10 years has seen a rise in women studying engineering (Image: Pixabay)

"However, male applicants still outstrip female applications four to one.

"Through our clubs I’m determined to show girls that they too can be engineers."

The Young Engineers Summer Clubs aims to introduce students to engineering concepts in interesting and engaging ways.

Alongside various indoor and outdoor activities, the programme incorporates Lego building.

Mr King continued: "Children learn best when they are having fun.

"Our clubs are designed to introduce quite complicated topics such as centrifugal force in a way that children can understand and relate to."

The UK is currently crippled by a shortage of engineers, which is causing problems for innovation and economic growth and is threatening the nation's capacity to meet future technological demands.

An estimated 19.5 per cent of UK engineers are predicted to retire by 2026, with the average age of an engineer currently 54, according to a study by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.

Wes Westaway, managing director of Oxford Active, said: "Parents have been asking for a science, technology, engineering and maths based holiday club for their children for some time and we have been looking for an organisation to team up with that delivers the quality experience that Oxford Active is renowned for.

"We are delighted to have found Young Engineers and are so impressed with how passionate Chris and Karen are about engineering. We know our families are really going to love these camps."