Budding engineers of the future have had the opportunity to learn about innovation from former Ferrari F1 design engineers ahead of the national TeenTech Awards competition.
Pupils from St Wilfred’s Catholic High School, Featherstone recently met the team at Performance Engineered Solutions (PES) Ltd at their base on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield, to gain insight into the world of high performance design and innovation as they prepare their entries for the TeenTech finals.
The TeenTech Awards are for UK students aged from 11-18 (Years 7 to 13) working in teams of up to three to look at problems large and small to see if they can find a better way of doing things. There will be a prize of £1000 to the winning school in each category and the winners will be presented with their awards by TeenTech’s patron HRH Duke of York KG at a ceremony this summer.
After the visit teacher Mr Philip Sykes commented on how the pupils had enjoyed the visit; “The students had an extremely productive day. We brought six pupils, representing each of the teams the school is entering into the competition.
“They were involved in some great discussions around the question of ‘What is Innovation?’ and had 1:1 tutorials with the design engineers at PES. They are currently using the invaluable feedback to finalise their design submissions.”
Dan Fleetcroft, engineering design director at PES Performance added; “It was great to meet the students and to see the enthusiasm for their projects. We have long supported TeenTech and appreciate the key role they play in increasing student interest in STEM subjects, and working towards addressing skills shortages in technology & engineering industries.”
TeenTech helps young teenagers see the wide range of career possibilities in Science, Engineering and Technology. This award winning, industry-led initiative was founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris Dodson to help the “X Factor” generation understand their true potential and the real opportunities available in the contemporary STEM workplace. TeenTech works collaboratively with companies, Universities, business organisations and education business partnerships to create these very special experiences for young people.
Maggie Philbin from TeenTech remarked; “Days like this one with PES Performance are what make the TeenTech Awards a very special experience for every student who participates, not just those who win. We have structured the awards so students work on real-life problems with support from some of the most talented engineers and scientists in the UK.
“The experience with PES will have opened their eyes to the importance of engineering design in winter sports and also given the students confidence in their own ability to innovate and take ideas to the next stage.”
