Future designers, engineers, manufacturers and marketers demonstrated their environmental credentials when they entered the Hyde Group Make It Enterprising Schools Challenge on Friday, 29th January. The 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls from high schools across Trafford and Manchester competed to create, market and sell a world-beating eco-vehicle for land, sea or air.

The event took place at Wellacre Technology College, which is one of the first specialist high schools in the country to offer the pioneering new Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design (MPD). It was part of The Manufacturing Institute’s Make It in Manufacturing campaign to attract young people into the sector.

The teenagers responded to a tough challenge set by The Hyde Group, which is responsible for making key components for world famous aircraft — working for sector giants such as Rolls Royce, Airbus and BAE Systems.

Each team established a mini-manufacturing company for the day and selected job roles; from managing director to operations managers, through to finance, sales and marketing managers.

They developed, designed and costed their ideas and then pitched them to a panel of business investment ‘dragons’ from The Hyde Group, and Salford University.

The winning multi-school team ‘Riot Rhino Police Protection’ developed a fuel-efficient crime fighting vehicle in the shape of a rhinoceros, with tracks instead of wheels so that it could manage all terrains.

Derek Jones, from the development team behind the Diploma in MPD, said, “This was an exciting opportunity for learners to engage with industry. It was a fantastic event and one which we hope will inspire students to follow a career in the sector. Hyde Group is a well respected global engineering business and it comes as positive news to see them helping to develop the next generation of talented recruits as they rise through the Diploma in MPD.”

Nicola Eagleton-Crowther, Make It Campaign Manager for The Manufacturing Institute, said, “The recession has demonstrated how crucial manufacturing and engineering are to our economy and it’s essential that we attract the brightest young people to work in the sector. The Make It campaign introduces teenagers to the real and exciting opportunities of modern industry.”

Chris Hatherall, Deputy Headteacher of Wellacre Technology College, said, “We ensured that we gave the young people at the event a real taste of manufacturing and product design. From this we hope to recruit some hot new talent to this Diploma course. Our first group of students are already rising to the challenge and mixing their principal learning, which covers business, enterprise, product design, materials science and production systems, with true sector experience through partners such as Robert Wiseman, Nampak, Papyrus and The Manufacturing Institute.”

Matthew Murray, Human Resources Director for the Hyde Group, said, “Global businesses like ours are knowledge-led and developing the next generation of talent is essential to our long term success. We hope to show the young people the reality of what a career in manufacturing is really like.”