We Solve It event hosted at EKC Canterbury College inspires young female students to future careers in STEM

EKC Canterbury College hosted the We Solve It challenge, an event which inspires female secondary school students to investigate future careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).  

We Solve It, formerly known as the Amey Challenge Cup, takes place across the UK, with EKC Canterbury College the chosen venue for the third year for this Kent challenge. The competitors must work with their teams to design, construct and pitch the project of rebuilding a collapsed bridge, based on a client brief from a real-world project. 

Students from The Royal Harbour Academy  in Ramsgate, Herne Bay High School in Herne Bay and EKC Sheppey Secondary in Sheerness  took part, supported by EKC student ambassadors Tanya and Charlotte, EKC Canterbury College staff, and mentors from the industry. 

Student ambassador, Charlotte, a T Level Technical Qualification in Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing student at EKC Canterbury College and former student of The Royal Harbour Academy, helped competitors throughout the day by sharing the expertise she had gained from her course, as well as reconnecting with teachers from her former school. 

“The challenge wasn’t running when I was a student at The Royal Harbour Academy, but it’s nice to see my old teachers and help out. It’s nice to see how the school is progressing and that they’re encouraging a lot more females into Engineering. I volunteer to show them that they can achieve in this sort of industry,” she said 

Charlotte is finishing her T Level course and progressing to a Degree Apprenticeship role while working for a local engineering firm. Her former teacher, Graeme Dagg, attended the event with his current pupils and commented on Charlotte’s impressive progress. 

The judges panel comprised of Toby Howe, Highways and Transportation Strategic Resilience Manager at Kent County Council, Holly Stokes-Geddes a PhD student in Physics at University of Kent, Adrian Onyeka, Programme Director for Engineering at EKC Canterbury College, and Martin Kerry, Head of Engineering at EKC Canterbury College.  

Judging criteria included project design, construction of the model, use of essential teamwork, keeping to a specified budget, and their ability to adapt to a last-minute change.   

Zsa Zsa from EKC Sheppey Secondary said, “I’ve done this because I’m doing my GCSE in Engineering and it’s been helpful for my learning. The challenge has been practical and you get life skills out of it.” Her role for the project has been the manager of the team. 

Social Value Manager for Amey, Melanie Rogers, was pleased to see skills grow throughout the day and how the College inspires students. 

“Students very much identify the industry as a male industry. If that’s the image they have in their heads, they’re not going to automatically think about that as a pathway for themselves. The event is very much about promoting gender equality in Engineering and producing more females into that industry,” said Mel. 

Ginny Weymouth, Assistant Head Teacher leading on STEM at EKC Sheppey Secondary, “When Mel had the first slide on about ‘What does an Engineer look like?’ it’s breaking that stereotype down. Any kind of involvement, any kind of experience like this is going to highlight routes for them.” 

Louise Sutcliffe, Industry Liaison Officer for Automotive and Engineering at EKC Canterbury College, was instrumental in bringing We Solve It to our College as part of our links with key businesses in industry. 

“Doing challenges like this not only builds their confidence and skills but encourages females from quite a young age. The bridge challenge shows them the different career options. The event has female Engineer mentors and female staff running it, so it is encouraging female students on what they want to do,” she said. 

This is the fourth year the challenge has run. Over time, the challenge has expanded to focus on sustainable building, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and eco-friendly learning spaces. It aims to inspire the next generation to make sustainability a priority in their careers. 

Herne Bay High School secured the win in the We Solve It event, receiving recognition for the innovation of their design that withstood holding the most weight compared to the other competitiors. 

EKC Canterbury College looks forward to hosting this challenge and inviting young students to experience STEM projects with this hands-on approach. 

Our Engineering, Manufacturing and Automotive courses offer a great stepping stone to grow your career in a STEM industry. Apply today.