AN award winning teacher from Appleton Thorn who has been to Brussels to advise the European department of education said teachers are training youngsters for ‘jobs that don’t exist yet’.

Elaine Manton was the only teacher invited to a specialist meeting about science, technology, engineering and maths lessons.

And her class at Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham was involved in a project to promote careers in STEM and robotics to girls.

Elaine said: “It was an honour to sit on this panel and discuss what needs to be done in classrooms across Europe to skill up teachers.

“For me the key is to improve training and get teachers out of the classroom and into industry and vice versa, which is why we have stated that teachers in STEM subjects should spend at least one week on an industrial placement in their lifetime and that ambassadors in industry in turn should work with schools.

“The pace of change in the marketplace is so fast that teachers can get left behind so we have to ensure they understand the needs of industry.

“We are training our young people for jobs that don't even exist yet, the digital revolution is producing more and more challenging roles which is why we need to instil creative problem solution in our tasks in the classroom.”

The former microbiologist is popular with her students and budding aerospace engineer Evelyn Davis, 17, said: “She gets all the girls involved in so many games and competitions, creating challenges where you have to think and because we have won a couple we are able to buy more and more equipment.”

Elaine is passionate about supporting girls who are interested in scientific careers and said: “Young women are now performing just as well as young men in STEM subjects, but when they get into the working world don't have the belief that those top jobs are for them.

“We need female creativity just as much as we need male creativity and the different perspectives each brings.”