Forming part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, the campaign aims to boost engineering across the UK and inspire young students and ensure everyone has the skills needed to thrive in a modern economy.
LEGO Education has created The Engineers of The Future Challenge, alongside the FIRST LEGO League, The Institute of Engineering and Technology and The Department for Transport. The challenge builds on the success of the FIRST LEGO League, aiming to reach a diverse group of children and inspire and develop the UK’s engineers of the future.
In order to qualify, each team must complete all three parts of the challenge and make a film to showcase what they have designed and built. Creativity is key here, so teams must think outside the box, work together, and come up with innovative solutions!
“Engineers are at the forefront of technology and infrastructure advances which are shaping all of our lives,” said Nusrat Ghani, minister for the Year of Engineering, “from how we communicate and travel to tackling major challenges in healthcare and the environment. But the opportunities of this creative, innovative and hugely important profession are all too often misunderstood and overlooked by young people and their parents.
“That’s why I’m thrilled to announce our collaboration with LEGO as part of the Year of Engineering. LEGO’s enduring popularity is testament to the curiosity, ingenuity and creativity that make so many children natural engineers, and Engineers of the Future is a chance to build on this - helping young people from all backgrounds discover how these skills could be their passport to a varied, well-paid and exciting career that makes a real difference to the world around them.”
Teams chosen through the Core Values Challenge can win prizes including LEGO Education MINDSTORMS EV3 sets, free entry into the 2018/2019 FIRST LEGO League INTO ORBIT season, and an invitation to be part of the Engineers of the Future Showcase event at the Houses of Parliament.
To submit entries, teams must complete all challenges, submit their film and entry forms to [email protected] using WeTransfer before the entry deadline of 31st July 2018.
Camilla Bottke, head of LEGO Education After School and Competition, said: “For more than 35 years it has been our mission to inspire and develop all children, equipping them with the right skills to empower them to succeed, whatever their background and whatever their ambition. Our experience shows us the importance of supporting the development of STEM skills in children from an early age. We are delighted to be part of the UK government’s Year of Engineering initiative to further our commitment to developing these important STEM skills in children across the country and leveraging technology to give them the opportunity to become aspiring engineers.”
And it doesn’t stop there! The Engineers of the Future Roadshow is heading to Primary schools across the UK this autumn as part of the campaign. The roadshow aims to inspire children by giving them access to quality hands-on learning resources such as LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 and LEGO Education MINDSTORMS EV3 sets.
To find out more about Engineers of the Future Challenge and how schools can get involved visit firstlegoleague.theiet.org/yoe-competition.cfm.
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