A group of Year 8 students participated in the IET Faraday® Challenge Day on Thursday, 18th April. Students had the opportunity to become real-life engineers for a day by researching, designing, and building solutions to real engineering problems as part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s IET Faraday® Challenge Day.
IET Faraday® Challenge Days are run by regional delivery partners across the UK. Up to six teams of local school students compete at each event to find the best solution to an engineering-related challenge.
This year’s challenge is associated with The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund and National Highways, but the brief for these young engineers is hidden in secrecy to avoid unfair preparation and research. Teams must race against the clock to solve a real-life engineering problem, putting their engineering and technology knowledge and skills to the test.
These events aim to encourage more young people to study and consider exciting and rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) by using creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills.
The winning team from each event will gain a place on the season’s league table. The top teams from across the UK will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the national final in June 2024 to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school.
The IET Faraday® Challenge Days are part of a wider Education programme that includes teaching resources and activities designed to inspire and attract the engineers of tomorrow.
Natalie Moat, IET Faraday® Education Manager, said:
“Students who take part in the IET Faraday® Challenge Days this year will experience working as an engineer through hands-on and practical engagement with a real-life challenge relating to The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund and National Highways.
There is a huge demand for new engineers and technicians, and we are confident that this will challenge young people’s perceptions of engineering and inspire the next generation by giving them an insight into the life of a real engineer and show them just how exciting and creative engineering really is.”
Shreeja Ashton - Director of STEM at Northampton Academy, said:
"Our six teams demonstrated excellent engineering skills required to engineer and construct a working prototype of their design and then pitched their products to the judges. Students thoroughly enjoyed the challenge that encouraged the development of their problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills."