Barnsley College Engineering students at the RAEng competition.
Our engineering students showed off their entrepreneurial talents as the department hosted a Royal Academy of Engineering competition – with the winning team heading down to London to take part in a masterclass.
The competition, held at the STEM centre on Old Mill Lane, saw five teams trying to find the best solution to make concrete more sustainable.
As well as brainstorming ideas, the groups were then asked to present their projects to a panel of judges from the Royal Academy of Engineering – being marked not only on the ideas themselves, but their business sense and how they presented.
Alongside receiving trophies, certificates and Amazon vouchers, the teams were battling it out to gain a place at a masterclass held by the Academy in London later this year. The winning group was made up of first year T Level students.
Jason Boucher, Further Education programme manager for engineering with the Royal Academy of Engineering – who facilitated the session – said: “The teams had to solve the engineering problem that is concrete, through sustainable excellence.
“Concrete is responsible for five-to-seven per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, but is the second-most used material in the world after water.
“We also organised other activities during the day, including how to make a kettle more sustainable, and how to decide which candidates to employ based on a selection of CVs and job descriptions. These all informed the final challenge which tested everything we spoke about during the day.
“It wasn’t just about their presentations – it was the all-around package, their engineering knowledge and their business sense.
“This was one of the most engaging groups of students I’ve worked with in Further Education – they enjoyed themselves but also really got their heads down and got into it.”
Graham Sherwin, head of engineering at Barnsley College, added: “It was a really successful day, challenging students in a lot of different skills including understanding of the issue, problem solving, and communication when they pitched their ideas to the judges.
“They also had the chance to listen to local speakers and industry experts who provided insight and advice for the world of work and how to get there.”
To learn more about Engineering at Barnsley College, click here.
Last updated: 5th March 2024
Originally posted on: 5th March 2024