Thomas Telford UTC wins major prize at Design & Make Competition
Future Shropshire engineers came top of the class at a major competition designed to get more young people involved in manufacturing.
Thomas Telford UTC took on 14 other schools at the Design & Make Challenge at the University of Warwick’s Innovation District, securing the Communications Award for the way they told their own unique story of a day.
Organised by the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), teams used a box of simple materials to build a device that could securely lift a 23kg metal block with nothing more than a pulley system.
The students designed, tested and built their solution, working closely with apprentices from the eight MAN companies and graduate engineers from WMG’s SME Group.
Engineers from Thomas Telford UTC used the power of social media to promote their attendance, proving there are a host of different skill sets required for a career in industry.
One of their posts racked up more than 347 likes and over 2000 views in just a few hours.
“What a fantastic way to celebrate the 5th year of the Design & Make Challenge, with the biggest turnout of students we’ve ever had - that really shows the appetite to learn more about a possible career in industry,” commented Austin Owens, Managing Director at Grove Design and Co-Chair of the Manufacturing Assembly Network.
“The competition is all about inspiring young people to get hands-on with design and engineering skills, working together to come up with a solution that then competes with other schools in terms of efficiency, innovation and design for manufacture.”
He continued: “All of the MAN companies were so impressed with the quality of thinking and the sheer commitment from pupils to see their ideas through – even though it may have taken several iterations to get there. That’s what our sector is all about and I’m sure we’ve seen potential engineers in the room during this competition.
“It’s not just about engineers, designers and quality specialists. There are also lots of other roles, including marketing, digital media and PR. In fact, we need these more than ever to get our message across and the Thomas Telford UTC team did just that.”
Other winners on the day were Southam College, Barclay Academy and Lawrence Sheriff High School, winning the Efficiency, Innovation and Manufacturing Awards respectively
They received a 3D Printer as part of their prize package, which was sponsored by 3DPrint UK. These were taken back to each of the schools and will be used to develop additive manufacturing and design skills.
Dr Mark Swift, Director of SME Engagement at WMG, University of Warwick, whose team supported the students on the day, concluded:
“Design & Make connects young people with dynamic manufacturers whilst they are still at school and making future career decisions - this is critical for addressing the UK's engineering skills gap and fostering a culture of innovation.
“Early exposure and practical experience help to inspire the next generation of engineers, equipping them with the necessary skills to ultimately develop new technology and grow our world leading manufacturing sector."
