ENGINEERS of the future had their minds boggled by virtual worlds as they visited Harwell Campus.

In a bid to inspire the next generation into engineering roles, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and Diamond Light Source opened its doors to celebrate workplace engineers.

A spokesman for Diamond Light Source, based at the campus, said engineers played a vital role in the company's scientific discoveries.

She said: "Engineers are so important to the work we do every day.

"Without them we would not be able to do the cutting edge science we are so well known for.

"We hoped that the open day would show the youngsters a world of opportunity that perhaps they had never thought of before.

"We wanted to show them all the different types of engineering roles which can be on offer to them."

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) was the driving force behind the open day on Wednesday.

It formed part of the IET's Engineer a Better World campaign which focuses on showing career opportunities in the industry.

New IET research has found that 74 per cent of four to 12-year-olds in the South East do not find STEM subjects boring, contrary to popular opinion.

Naomi Climer, IET President, said: "We know that parents are role models and influencers over their children’s futures, so it’s crucial they support their children – particularly girls – as much as possible if they are showing an interest in science, engineering, technology and maths.

"Some parents have told us they do not feel equipped with enough knowledge and this plays a part in why kids are not encouraged at home about science and engineering jobs.

"We have to change that."