The Survitec Make It Enterprising Challenge 29 November 2011

Archbishop Blanch CofE High School and St Edward’s College proved they have what it takes to ‘Make It in Manufacturing’ by coming to the rescue of victims of natural disasters, war zones and other troubles at an event held in Liverpool on 29 November 2011.

The ‘Make It’ Enterprising Challenge heat challenged 13 and 14-year old boys and girls from 12 schools across Merseyside, Wirral and Cheshire to form their own mini-manufacturing businesses and compete to win a contract from Survitec Group, the leading manufacturer of high quality marine safety and survival equipment.

The free event at the Crowne Plaza Liverpool was a collaboration between Survitec Group and The Manufacturing Institute’s ‘Make It’ campaign, which aims to attract the brightest and best new talent into manufacturing by promoting the sector as an exciting and rewarding career option for young people.

The 13 and 14 year-old boys and girls from 12 schools designed, built, marketed and sold imaginative Survival Apparatus for Emergency (SAFE) pods, containing equipment vital for survival in emergency situations.

On the day, teams built their pods from polydrons and set up their own manufacturing enterprise by taking on job roles from managing director to operations managers through to finance, sales and marketing managers.

They developed a sales and marketing strategy and then pitched their fully costed ideas in a Dragons’ Den-style presentation to Survitec managers, who played the role of members of the Joint Emergency Committee a fictional United Nations-style body responsible for responding to humanitarian and military emergencies.

Archbishop Blanch impressed the Dragons so much with their HELP pod - designed to rescue trapped miners - that they were awarded the coveted winners trophy on the day.

Meanwhile, St Edward’s College team wowed the judges with their luxury 5 star pod and confident pitch at the end of the day.

Nicola Eagleton-Crowther, Make It Campaign Manager, said:

“All of the schools participating in this latest challenge really showed an ability to innovate, be creative and think smartly which is exactly what modern manufacturing is all about. By connecting young people to manufacturers through practical hands-on events, the ‘Make It’ campaign is a really effective way of inspiring a future generation of young talent for the jobs that are being created in the sector.”

Brian Stringer, Chief Operating Officer at Survitec, said:

“Modern manufacturing presents such exciting opportunities for young people. As one of the leading manufacturers in its field, Survitec is already increasing its intake of talented young engineers and designers and I’d like to think some of the stars of the future have been here at ‘Make It’ today. Well done to all the students who rose to the challenge, I’ve been enormously impressed with the innovation, commitment and enthusiasm.”

Archbishop Blanch and St Edward’s College will now go through to Make It’s Grand Regional Final to be held in summer 2012.

Click here to see the photos from the day

Click here to view the videos from this event