The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) has successfully organized one of the UK’s largest independent STEM events, the Design & Make Challenge 2024. This competition, encouraging young people to engage with manufacturing, attracted nearly 100 pupils from 15 schools nationwide.
The Design & Make Challenge, now in its fifth year, has become a notable event in the UK’s STEM education calendar. Held at the University of Warwick’s Innovation District, the competition brought together students from Years 10, 11, and 12 to tackle a real-world engineering problem.
Austin Owens, Managing Director at Grove Design and Co-Chair of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, commented on the event’s success: “The competition is 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.”
Participants were challenged to use a box of simple materials to construct a device capable of securely lifting a 23kg metal block using only a pulley system. This task was designed to test the student’s problem-solving skills, creativity, and understanding of basic engineering principles.
The Challenge required teams to design, test, and build their solutions, mirroring the iterative process often encountered in real-world engineering projects. This hands-on approach provided students with valuable insights into the practical aspects of engineering and manufacturing.
Winning Schools – Design & Make Challenge 2024
Three schools emerged as winners in different categories:
- Southam College – Efficiency Award
- Barclay Academy – Innovation Award
- Lawrence Sheriff High School – Manufacturing Award
Each winning school received a 3D printer sponsored by 3DPrint UK to further develop its additive manufacturing and design skills.
A fourth prize, the Communications Award, was presented to Thomas Telford UTC for effectively sharing their experience through social media. Their post garnered over 347 likes and 2000 views within hours, demonstrating the importance of communication skills in modern engineering.
Collaboration between students and industry professionals is critical to the Design & Make Challenge. Teams worked closely with apprentices from the eight MAN companies and graduate engineers from WMG’s SME Group at the University of Warwick.
These interactions gave students valuable mentorship and exposed them to real-world engineering practices. It also allowed industry professionals to identify potential future talent and inspire the next generation of engineers.
Dr Mark Swift, Director of SME Engagement at WMG, University of Warwick, emphasized the importance of such events: “Design & Make connects young people with dynamic manufacturers while 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.”
The competition provides early exposure to practical engineering experiences, crucial in inspiring and equipping the next generation of engineers. The Design & Make Challenge helps bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application by engaging students in hands-on projects.
The Manufacturing Assembly Network, formed in 2006, comprises eight companies: Alucast, Brandauer, Fluxsys, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, KimberMills International, Nemco, and PP Control & Automation. This group of sub-contract manufacturers, electrical machines and drives specialists, and a leading engineering design agency collaborate to share best practices and secure contracts for the UK industry.
The success of the Design & Make Challenge 2024 has sparked ambitions for future growth. Austin Owens called for wider involvement: “We’d love to make it even bigger and are urging other manufacturers, funders, and schools to come forward and get involved. Together we can start to bridge the skills gap industry continues to battle against.” This call to action highlights the ongoing need for collaboration between industry and education to address the skills shortage in engineering and manufacturing.
We hope that by expanding the reach and scale of such competitions, more students can be exposed to the possibilities of careers in these fields. By providing students with hands-on experience, mentorship from industry professionals, and exposure to real-world engineering challenges, the competition is making significant strides in addressing the UK’s engineering skills gap.
TLDR:
- The Design & Make Challenge 2024, organized by the Manufacturing Assembly Network, attracted 100 pupils from 15 schools.
- Working with industry professionals, students built pulley systems to lift a 23kg block.
- Southam College, Barclay Academy, and Lawrence Sheriff High School won prizes.
- The event aims to inspire young people and address the UK’s engineering skills gap.
- Organizers call for wider involvement to expand the competition’s reach.
