Bringing engineering to life in the classroom so that it opens up a whole new world of career choices is a challenge that our profession needs to address!
The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) has been creating and taking Faraday Challenge Days into schools for over 10 years. During that time more than 25,000 children have taken part. Each year a new and unique challenge is created with a partner organisation. IET Faraday Challenge Days introduce students to engineering in a very practical way. They are presented with a real scenario, asked to think about the kind of challenges that would be faced, and then work together to come up with a solution – all in the course of one school day. The winning team at each event receive a prize, and the top teams compete at a National Final for a £1,000 prize for their school.
“Our challenges test students’ creativity and problem-solving skills,” said Natalie Moat, Faraday Education Manager, IET. “We are looking for great teamwork because by the end of the day they need to design, make, and demonstrate, a working prototype of their solution to a real-problem – within budget and with limited resources.”
The Challenge Days are aimed at 12-13-year-olds (Year 8 students in England and Wales, S1/S2 students in Scotland, and Year 9 students in Northern Ireland), before they have made crucial decisions about their subject choices at GCSE level and the equivalent.
“We want to give them a taste of what engineering is really about. They are often surprised at their own abilities and what they can achieve in one day,” added Natalie Moat. Students and teachers consistently rate the experience highly – with many schools signing up each year. She added: “By working with industry partners we can bring real issues alive. That’s why we are so excited to be working with IHEEM this year. The hospital environment is not one that most, if any, of the students will associate with engineering. We are looking forward to seeing the innovative solutions to the scenario we will present.”
The exact details of the Challenge are kept under-wraps to ensure that all schools taking part in the competition can compete fairly – but it has been developed closely with members of IHEEM and CEF are not just proud to be sponsoring such an inspiring event but delighted to part of the judging panel. The finals will be held 28-29 June 2022 at the Innovation Centre – Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, but we will keep you updated as the challenge progresses.
For further details about the Faraday Challenge please click here: https://education.theiet.org/faraday-challenge-days/
