Engineers committed to Learning for Life program

Over the past decade, Flowserve engineers located in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, have been partnering with the Boy Scouts of America’s Learning for Life program whose mission is “to provide positive and meaningful real-world career experiences and leadership development opportunities for all teenagers and young adults in their chosen field of interest.” Flowserve has supported and encouraged the participation of its engineers, allowing them to share their experiences and expertise in the engineering field with local students.

Learning for Life has now become a staple for several Flowserve engineers, who are regularly called upon to support the program. The career day presentations they make at the local schools give an overview of engineering as a career, describe the various engineering disciplines, and emphasize the positive aspects and benefits of their jobs. “We try to strongly promote the idea that these kids can be anything they want to be, regardless of stereotypes,” says Jessica. The lesson also incorporates a teambuilding activity where the students are put in an “engineer’s” role and must work together to assemble the tallest structure using only the provided materials in a specified amount of time. A.K. states, “The teambuilding activity shows the students the fun side of engineering, and we always receive positive feedback.”

By engaging the students and allowing them to interact and focus on accomplishing a common goal, the Flowserve engineers can captivate an audience of any age. Being an engineer is “mentally stimulating and challenging,” says A.K. “We try to show the students that the world is full of opportunities, and that any obstacle can be overcome as long as they put their minds to it.” Andrew expresses similar enthusiasm saying, “We love to share with the students the concept of ‘if you can dream it, you can build it.” With current technology, this is truer now than it ever has been, and it’s a concept even a young crowd can understand and appreciate.”  

With a strong commitment from volunteers like the team in New Jersey, Flowserve associates continue to demonstrate the importance of investing in our communities and educating our youth.