Two teams have been crowned winners at the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools UK finals for the first time in the competition’s history.
In a fiercely contested two-day contest at the British Motor
Museum, students from The Thomas Hardye School from Dorchester and King
Edward’s School in Bath came out on top of the class as they shared first prize.
Each team, consisting of 13 to 18 year olds, used software
coding to design and build a remote control, all-wheel drive vehicle to tackle
a miniature off-road course. The teams were then scored on their track
performance, which included water dips, a rope bridge and rock climbs. Before
sharing their knowledge of vehicle design and engineering accrued throughout
the competition.
A new challenge introduced for this year’s finals saw
students also challenged to develop concepts for vehicle innovations that
reflect the move towards an Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared future.
Each team presented their ideas to a panel of designers, as students
from Kirkby’s All Saints Catholic High School took the accolade for their
roadside sensor warning device.
Speaking on the day, Chris Thorp, Jaguar Land Rover’s
Responsible Business Director, said: “We are passionate about inspiring the
next generation of engineering talent and the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools
Technology Challenge is a vital part of our education programme.
“Digital skills are critical to our business and we need
more talented software engineers to help us develop innovative technologies for
our vehicles.
“I’m hugely impressed by the students and their vehicles and
would like to congratulate both teams on their well-deserved shared victory.”
The winning teams will receive a bespoke careers immersion
day at Jaguar Land Rover and can apply for an engineering scholarship at Harper
Adams University in Shropshire.
The UK National Finals was also an opportunity for the
students to learn about what life at Jaguar Land Rover is like, as apprentices,
graduates and engineers explained why the skills they learnt through the programme
will set them up for a career in engineering.
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