Great Wyrley takes the plaudits at MAN Design & Make Challenge

Great Wyrley Academy, based in south Staffordshire, was one of only a select number of schools from across the UK to create a hand-crafted vehicle that could complete the test track in a fast time.

More than 40 Year 11 pupils and A-level students swapped their daily lessons to take part in the competition, which is funded by nine local SMEs and designed to inspire young people to consider a career in engineering by encouraging them to work together and ‘problem solve’.

The four-strong teams were given a box of goodies they could use to build a vehicle, which would be propelled by a pendulum’s impact, ensuring their designs could withstand the ‘strike’ whilst minimising weight.

Austin Owens, founder of Grove Design, was the inspiration behind the initiative. He said: “As manufacturers we can’t just sit back and continually reflect on the lack of skills or the number of engineers coming through.

“There is no better way of inspiring young people to consider a career in our sector than showing them first-hand what we do and how we do it, then getting them to put their own ideas into action. The competition gets really intense and there was a massive buzz in the room when the vehicles came to perform.

“Last year’s challenge involved seven teams, this time eleven and we are hoping that next year’s will be even bigger. One of the major issues we face is recruitment. We need that to change with manufacturers and educators working more collaboratively to increase awareness.”

The MAN Design and Make Challenge, which was hosted by the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Warwick Manufacturing Group, featured nine schools in total, including Alcester Grammar, Ashlawn, John Taylor High School, Lawrence Sheriff, Nicholas Chamberlaine, Southam College, WMG Academy and Ysgol Bro Dinefwr.

The tool kits presented to the students featured doweling, plywood, duct tape, axles and wheels. Students were given the task of sketching out concepts and turning their designs into reality by using basic hand tools to come up with a vehicle that could travel down a monorail.

A prototype testing area was also set up to encourage pupils to put their ideas through their paces before submitting their final solution.

The three winning teams – Alcester Grammar, John Taylor High School and WMG Academy – each received an Ultimaker 3D Printer for their schools. These were kindly donated by the CREATE Education project, which brings together game-changing technology with inspirational content and creative minds.

Poppy Plevin, one of the pupils from Great Wyrley Academy, said: “We had a great day. The challenge gave us the opportunity to work in a team, contribute our own ideas to the design, test it and then refine it into one of the best vehicles out of all the schools. It’s definitely given me a taste of what a career in engineering looks like and I’m keen to find out more.”

The Manufacturing Assembly Network is a collective of eight sub-contract manufacturers and an engineering design agency.

It is made up of Alucast, Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, C-MAC SMT, Grove Design, KimberMills International, Mec Com, Muller Holdings and PP Control & Automation.

Together they offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including automation and control systems, casting, design, forging, plastic injection moulding, PCB development and precision machining and precision stamped parts.

MAN is also currently working with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) to improve processes and commercialise new technologies.