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UK National Finals – JLR 4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge

I’m at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, where the UK National Final of the Jaguar Land Rover In Schools Technology Challenge is currently taking place. Right now, professional and development class teams of school children are battling it out for a number of awards, as well as the chance to go head to head with the other national winners in the International Finals in December.

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It’s my first time attending the event and I was honoured to be asked to be a judge for Pit Displays and Portfolios of the development classes. The development class teams I have spoken to range from school years 9 to 12 (ages 13-16) and I have to say, they really are an inspiring and innovative bunch!

If you don’t know much about the JLR In Schools Technology Challenge, here’s what I’ve discovered…

School teams each have 3-6 members and must design and build a radio controlled 4x4 vehicle to a set of specifications. The car must be able to successfully navigate specially designed test tracks and undertake a number of challenges.

As well as some really cool tracks that weave in and out of two Land Rover Discovery’s, there is a trailer challenge, a coding challenge and a weight pull challenge.

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In addition to the design work required, teams must produce a portfolio detailing their work, present their design and iterations to a judging panel, consider marketing and merchandise, and attempt to gain sponsorship. All these elements together really help to provide the students with some invaluable real-life practice and experience. And just to top it all off, as the teams try to navigate the test tracks, their efforts are broadcasting live via YouTube. So there’s a bit of front-of-camera interviewing to contend with too!

UK_National_Champions_24324cb8efd59d83ddbf3bd64244c190af6bed9b.jpgIt’s heart-warming to see so much enthusiasm, team-work and problem-solving in action and I can’t wait to see what some of these guys and girls (yes, there is an impressive female contingent here too!) get up to in the not-too-distant future.

Huge congratulations to all the teams that made it this far – you are all winners in your own right – and later this afternoon we will discover who has beaten off all the competition to be crowned UK National Champion.

 

DesignSpark Community Manager and all-around geek girl.
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