College News

Hovercraft Racers

Technologically minded students used their skills to blow away the competition in a hovercraft design challenge.

One hundred teenage pupils built working hovercraft as part of a project to inspire their interest in engineering.

The annual Foundation for Jobs event, hosted by QE, also aims to demonstrate to the students the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects for industries pivotal to the North-East economy.

The annual trophy, awarded to the school group judged to have built the winning hovercraft in terms of both performance and design, went to Hurworth School.

Each team of eight students from seven schools in Darlington constructed a basic hovercraft capable of carrying a pilot, which then raced another team.

Foundation for Jobs chairman Counsellor Chris McEwan said: “The hovercraft event is one of our most popular activities of the year and gives pupils a better understanding of how the science and maths they learn at school can be used to solve real world challenges, such as building one of these hovercraft.

“All the teams did incredibly well with each producing a working hovercraft and doing this in a fun environment, while developing teamworking skills, will hopefully inspire some of these young people taking part to become our engineers of the future. We are again grateful to the staff and students at the QE for both hosting this event and assisting the pupils on the day. The QE is a great supporter of what we are trying to achieve with Foundation for Jobs and fully realises the importance of developing the next generation of engineers as demonstrated by its fantastic Future Engineers scheme for its students.”