More than 140 teenagers from schools across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire battled it out to design, cost, manufacture and market a new aircraft during the day-long challenge at Manchester Airport’s Concorde Centre.
They then had to pitch their ideas to a team of ‘Dragons’ including senior staff from BAE, Siemens, Sellafield, and Kelloggs.
The top prize went to the Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School team which was praised by the judges for outstanding creativity and teamwork.
The all-girl team – Anna Rankin, Esmee Fitton, Bethan Evans, Marian Rees, Kate Shaw, Hannah Speake and Helen Barlow are all studying GCSE electronics and computing.
Their teacher Jacqui Sandbach said: “We’re very pleased with the result. The girls have worked hard and worked very well together.”
Whalley Range 11-18 High School in Manchester won second prize with a fantastic idea based around a luxury aircraft, and Cheadle Hulme School in Cheshire won the third place trophy with an impressive idea to set up their own aircraft logistics company.
Said Stephanie Boyle who runs the Make It programme for The Manufacturing Institute: “I’m very proud of all the kids who have worked so hard to make the Grand Final such a resounding success.
“It’s great to see that teenagers can engage with manufacturing and see it as a future career.”
The event, delivered by The Manchester-based Manufacturing Institute and sponsored by Manchester Airports Group, was the culmination of a series of Make It Enterprising Challenge heats which have been sponsored by manufacturing companies across the North West including Survitec, Siemens, McBride, BAE Systems, Nuclear Management Partners and Kelloggs.
The two year-long competition has attracted 110 schools and involved almost 900 pupils and the teams competing in the Grand Final have already proved their ingenuity and initiative as winners of sub-regional heats.
Neil Robinson, Manchester Airport's group CSR director, said: “As we continue to grow, we look to the workforce of the future to develop the key skills in science, engineering and maths that are so critical to employers. We are delighted to support the Make-It final as just one way we can play our part to ensure that we engage and excite the brightest young minds in the region.”
The Manufacturing Institute's Make It campaign aims to attract the brightest and best new talent into manufacturing by demonstrating that the sector is an exciting and rewarding career path for young people.
Since it started in 2006, over 60,000 pupils and teachers have been inspired by the campaign.
