A TEAM of young engineers from South Wiltshire UTC were runners up in the Royal Navy University Training College Young Engineers Challenge.

Team Turtle were runners up in the 14-16 year old category in the Operation Amphibious Angel challenge last week.

The team was made up of Year 11 students Cian Quale, Harry Blackburn, Ben Matthews and Charlie Loveridge.

Five other teams from the South Wiltshire UTC also took part in the challenge:

Held in partnership with University Technical Colleges (UTCs), Young Engineers and BAE Systems, the challenge encourages young people to consider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

A total of 70 teams competed in the challenge, with several of the teams enjoying the opportunity to experience 24 hours of naval life, including a night on board HMS Bristol.

Themed around the Royal Navy’s role of providing disaster relief, the students were tasked with designing a remote controlled vehicle capable of operating on land and water, negotiating dangerous debris and retrieving vital supplies from a safe location and deliver them to the affected island.

The challenge was hosted within an aircraft hangar normally used by Air Engineering Technicians from the Defence College of Technical Training’s Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School.

In between competing, the students were given the opportunity to look at a number of aircraft and enjoy a number of interactive displays around the arena.

The youngsters were given tours of marine engineering training facilities used by the Defence School of Marine Engineering.

Charles Parker, CEO of UTCs said: “It is great to see 18 UTCs sending 212 students to this event and I know they have been working really hard to get ready for it. The RN UTC Engineering Challenge is an excellent example of the practical application of the theoretical learning they have done in school.”

Assistant Chief of Staff Training, Commodore Andy Cree Royal Navy, said: “The event is about inspiring the engineers and scientists of tomorrow and encouraging innovation. It enables the Royal Navy to highlight the variety of exciting roles and opportunities available to engineers, not just within the Royal Navy, but across the whole engineering and scientific community, which in turn, is helping to build a better future for the United Kingdom.”