During July 2025 a group of 13 Saint Aidan’s students were invited for an experience day at two local manufacturers, Vitrex and AGC Chemicals. Milly in Year 9 was one lucky enough to go, she writes:
“Our group began the day with a site tour, we were divided into two groups, one would focus on Vitrex the other on AGC. This was so we could describe one specific process. This would help us later, because we had to present what we learnt on our tour and confidently report back as a group
I toured Vitrex where we first started looking at the three main plants and their roles. Each plant contained a certain step which helped build the structure of their product. We started by seeing the plastic in its raw form, then they started adding chemicals, washing, melting and filtering to be able to make different pellets and types of plastic (polymers).
Victrix mainly make a high performance polymer is known as PEEK (PolyEtherEtherKetone). PEEK resists high temperatures and is very durable. Some uses of PEEK are aerospace parts, medical equipment and electronic technology.
Vitrex’s main goal is to replace metal parts with PEEK, in products where weight reduction, durability and resistance to extreme conditions are critical. This is making a major difference in many industries and is likely to impact parts of our life and future.”
Full of enthusiasm from their respective tours, students had to present to each other, in as creative way as possible, what they had learnt. Summerising the vast and complex sites into a 5 minute presentation was a hard task, but students were great at including important facts and details. Many also displayed some superb drama skills! The day was enjoyed by all and maybe even gave some thought for the future, as noted in Milly’s final comment:
“Being involved in the trip was a real experience, I enjoyed learning about all the science, technology and hard work that goes into the process. It has fascinated me to the point I would happily to go again and potentially consider it as a career path.”
