The Heart of Stoke on Trent created with Strathmore College

IAE is thrilled to have recently collaborated with Strathmore College on an exciting project—a brand-new sculpture for Trentham Shopping Village!

The sculpture was designed to symbolise the roots and growth of the six towns while celebrating the love and unity of Stoke-on-Trent. The concept originated from Strathmore students Natasha and Saul, and thanks to the hard work of our apprentices, their idea evolved from a 2D design into a stunning galvanized steel tree with a rose gold, heart-shaped archway.

The process began with Kyle, one of our Design Engineering Apprentices, who brought the students’ vision to life by creating a 3D CAD model, which then became the prototype for the sculpture. After that, Engineering Apprentices Ben, Jake, Cain, Lewis, Harry, and Frankie took over, carefully fabricating each part of the structure. This stage also involved laser-cutting the names of all six towns into the steel tree.

As the final step, apprentices Joe and Alex worked alongside our technical drawings to weld all the components together. At this point, we welcomed Strathmore students to visit our Apprentice Development Centre (ADC) to see firsthand the technical skills involved in building the sculpture.

Phil Brown, our Learning & Development Instructor, guided the apprentices throughout the project. From interpreting technical drawings to operating machinery and learning how to MIG weld, the apprentices were supported every step of the way.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside the 2023 intake of IAE apprentices and the students at Strathmore College. We’ve taken this project from initial ideas to a finished sculpture, now proudly displayed in Trentham Gardens. Everyone involved should be incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished,” said Phil Brown.

To ensure the sculpture’s durability, the tree and heart were hot dip galvanized at our on-site facility before being coated with a rose gold finish and placed in a custom recycled plastic planter.

This project provided both our apprentices and Strathmore College students with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their skills and create a lasting piece of art for the local community. We are incredibly proud to have helped bring this vision to life and look forward to seeing the sculpture in its new home for many years to come!