Ambitious Pupils Pitch to BT Dragons with the Smallpeice Trust
Nearly forty aspiring young engineers recently enjoyed a unique learning experience at BT Adastral Park in Ipswich. The group of 15 to 17 year old students spent three days finding out how to turn their creative engineering ideas into reality. Students learnt everything they needed to know about starting their own flourishing engineering enterprise, including technical, financial and marketing advice.
Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, August 13, 2010 --(PR.com)-- From 26th to 28th July, nearly forty aspiring young engineers enjoyed a unique learning experience at BT Adastral Park in Ipswich. The group of 15 to 17 year old students spent three days finding out how to turn their creative engineering ideas into reality.
Sponsored by BT, this course provided an introduction into how technical innovations can be produced, marketed and sold in the real world. Students learnt everything they needed to know about starting their own flourishing enterprise, including technical, financial and marketing advice.
Over the three days, the ambitious students investigated the use of Software Development Kits to build solutions from a kit of readily available parts. They discovered how to adopt the right commercial model for their business – an important ingredient for making money – and how to change it as new competitors enter the market. They also had the chance to impress a panel of BT experts with their most inventive and imaginative ideas, and to use the latest software packages to make prototypes of their products.
Throughout the course, students developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving and time management.
Spokesperson for The Smallpeice Trust, Gemma Murphy commented “We are delighted to have teamed up with BT to run this summer school course. There’s a major skills shortage in the engineering sector, so engaging young people in the possibilities of the field is vital to addressing this issue. All credit to the students on the course as they all embraced the opportunity and showed great commitment and enthusiasm to their projects and the course as a whole.”
Phil Lennard, Director – Education Outreach BT Innovate & Design, added “It was inspiring to see the students become engaged in the event so quickly; they embraced the technology and seized upon the opportunities and challenges that technology can often bring. Additionally, it was really impressive to see them work together to form cohesive and effective teams, especially as most of them had never met before. Finally, seeing these young people develop their ideas into potentially excellent revenue generating opportunities was just excellent.”
The Entrepreneurial Engineering course is run by the independent educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust, as part of an ongoing programme of residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 learn and develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, The Trust has reached out to 15,630 students across the UK in the past year.
The new course timetable for 2011 will be launched in September. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To find out more, visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk, or telephone The Smallpeice Trust on 01926 333200.
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Notes to editors:
About The Smallpeice Trust:
The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.
The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.”
The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies. Over the past year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to around 16,000 young people through 32 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school curriculum enrichment masterclasses.
For more information, visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk
Sponsored by BT, this course provided an introduction into how technical innovations can be produced, marketed and sold in the real world. Students learnt everything they needed to know about starting their own flourishing enterprise, including technical, financial and marketing advice.
Over the three days, the ambitious students investigated the use of Software Development Kits to build solutions from a kit of readily available parts. They discovered how to adopt the right commercial model for their business – an important ingredient for making money – and how to change it as new competitors enter the market. They also had the chance to impress a panel of BT experts with their most inventive and imaginative ideas, and to use the latest software packages to make prototypes of their products.
Throughout the course, students developed life skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving and time management.
Spokesperson for The Smallpeice Trust, Gemma Murphy commented “We are delighted to have teamed up with BT to run this summer school course. There’s a major skills shortage in the engineering sector, so engaging young people in the possibilities of the field is vital to addressing this issue. All credit to the students on the course as they all embraced the opportunity and showed great commitment and enthusiasm to their projects and the course as a whole.”
Phil Lennard, Director – Education Outreach BT Innovate & Design, added “It was inspiring to see the students become engaged in the event so quickly; they embraced the technology and seized upon the opportunities and challenges that technology can often bring. Additionally, it was really impressive to see them work together to form cohesive and effective teams, especially as most of them had never met before. Finally, seeing these young people develop their ideas into potentially excellent revenue generating opportunities was just excellent.”
The Entrepreneurial Engineering course is run by the independent educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust, as part of an ongoing programme of residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 learn and develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, The Trust has reached out to 15,630 students across the UK in the past year.
The new course timetable for 2011 will be launched in September. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To find out more, visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk, or telephone The Smallpeice Trust on 01926 333200.
###
Notes to editors:
About The Smallpeice Trust:
The Smallpeice Trust is an independent charitable trust which promotes engineering as a career, primarily through the provision of residential courses for young people aged 13 to 18.
The Smallpeice Trust was founded in 1966 by Dr Cosby Smallpeice, a pioneering engineer and inventor of the Smallpeice Lathe. Following the stock market flotation of his company Martonair, Dr Smallpeice invested his energy and part of his personal fortune to set up the Trust to ensure that British industry could continuously benefit from his proven design and engineering philosophies: “Simplicity in design, economy in production.”
The Trust is now governed by an eminent board of non-executive trustees and members from a diverse range of engineering, industry, educational and professional bodies. Over the past year, The Smallpeice Trust has reached out to around 16,000 young people through 32 different subsidised 4-day residential courses and 1-day in-school curriculum enrichment masterclasses.
For more information, visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk
Contact
The Smallpeice Trust:
Gemma Murphy
01926 333214
www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk
or contact:
Claire Ford
01926 333203
clairef@smallpeicetrust.org.uk
Gemma Murphy
01926 333214
www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk
or contact:
Claire Ford
01926 333203
clairef@smallpeicetrust.org.uk
Contact
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