We Made It competition encourages children to consider manufacturing careers

Oct. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- The Manufacturing Institute has joined forces with the likes of Dods Parliamentary Services and other organisations to for an exciting competition called We Made It, which is aimed at getting young people thinking about careers in manufacturing.

Young people aged 13-16 were invited to design something, such as a gadget or gizmo, for a chance to make it at the UK’s first Fab Lab – a digital fabrication laboratory – based in Manchester. All that was required was for their designs to be for a new product that doesn't already exist.

The entries were divided by constituencies and MPs are currently deciding on their favourites to go through to the next round. After the constituency winners are announced on 5 November, a judging panel made up of manufacturing experts – including representatives from The Manufacturing Institute, will pick two overall finalists who will earn the chance to visit Fab Lab in December to see their designs prototyped.

Both finalists along with the constituency winners will then be invited to an awards reception in the Houses of Parliament on 29 January 2013.

"We've had nearly 400 entries from all over the country," Eddie Kirkby at The Manufacturing Institute said. "There's been everything from sports equipment to toys that could become the next must-have product for children. The youngsters have been extremely creative and the standard of the entries are very high. The MPs and then the judging panel have a tough decision on their hands!"

The idea of the competition is that the children get to see that manufacturing is about design and creativity as well as the hands on making of the products. To the outside world, manufacturing may not seem like the most exciting of industries, but the reality is far different. Whether it's clothing, cars, video game consoles or even airplanes, there are many fantastic industries that have manufacturing at the heart and in which exciting career opportunities exist.

Besides The Manufacturing Institute and Dods Parliamentary Services, other organisations involved in the competition include Boeing, Finmeccanica, Lloyds Banking Group, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, RenewableUK and the Confederation of Paper Industries.

The Manufacturing Institute is an independent charity that delivers a wide range of education, training and consultancy services to companies and individuals operating in the manufacturing industry. Its services cover everything from manufacturing strategy to helping companies achieve operational excellence. The Institute also delivers charitable projects to improve the image of manufacturing amongst young people and drive grassroots innovation, including Fab Lab Manchester.

For more information about the competition, visit http://www.wemadeituk.co.uk. Or, for more information about Fab Lab, visit www.fablabmanchester.org (http://www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk/education-training) or call 0161 205 0070.