Reach for the sky at the Make It in Aerospace Schools Challenge

Feb. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- The 13 and 14 year-old boys and girls from eleven local schools will establish their own mini-manufacturing businesses and select job roles to match their individual skills from managing director to sales and marketing manager.  They will then compete to build, market and finance a multi-functional 3D rescue vehicle before selling their ideas to a panel of ‘investors’ in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style presentation.

This free event is a collaboration between The Manufacturing Institute’s (TMI) ‘Make It in Manufacturing’ campaign (www.makeit.org.uk) which is designed to attract the brightest and best young people into manufacturing and the Northwest Aerospace Alliance’s (NWAA) Take Off in Aerospace campaign which aims to highlight the excellent opportunities a career in aerospace can offer.

Heavily oversubscribed, the event is the third in a special series of five aerospace themed Make It Challenges with the top two teams from each heat competing in the Take Off in Aerospace Make It Final in June.  

Since 2006, the Make It campaign has worked with over 20,000 young people across the Northwest to help plug a skills gap which requires 500,000 new engineers in the next six years.

Make It campaign manager at The Manufacturing Institute, Nicola Crowther, said: “Modern manufacturing is an exciting global enterprise reliant upon innovation, creativity and ingenuity and these are the skills we’ll be looking for from the young people on the day. Many people simply don’t realise how crucial manufacturing is to our economy, or that there are many interesting, rewarding and well-paid careers on offer in the sector, which is why events such as this are so important”

Alison Ainsworth, Take Off in Aerospace Coordinator at the NWAA, agrees: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Manufacturing Institute on this series of events as engaging with school children of this age group is an ideal way to begin to change the image of aerospace and engineering as an exciting possible career opportunity, we look forward to meeting the youngsters on the day and hearing their ideas.”

Ends.

Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the event. For further details or to confirm your attendance please contact Edward Moss: 0161 875 2642, mobile: 07794 192677, ed.moss@manufacturinginstitute.co.uk.

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Small and medium size North West manufacturers have access to a fully or part-funded manufacturing review to review to assess existing working processes and identify the best areas for improvement.