FIRST® LEGO® League England and Wales Final brings excitement to STEM subjects

Students from across the country will battle it out to be crowned champions of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) FIRST® LEGO® League UK and Ireland Final on Saturday 26 February in Harrogate.

Young people aged nine to 16 will showcase their skills in robotics, computer programming, teamwork, research, problem solving and communication, in an all-out school challenge that gives students the opportunity to research, design and make prototype solutions to solve real world issues.

Student’s experience working as an engineer over a period of several months as they prepare for their tournament.

This year’s competition is called CARGO CONNECT℠ and is all about exploring how cargo is transported to different destinations around the world. Teams are tasked with designing a solution to making transporting cargo more efficient and making sure they have lots of fun in the process!

The competition is designed to help students build important life skills and practical, hands-on experience that they can use throughout their studies and in their future careers such as teamwork, problem solving and innovation.

The IET FIRST^® LEGO^® League National Final is being streamed live for one hour at 3pm on Saturday 26 February 2022 on the IET’s YouTube channel where you can experience all the action from this global STEM competition first-hand, including the positive impact it has on the children taking part!

Lucy Owen, FIRST® LEGO® League Education Manager at the IET, said:

“FIRST® LEGO® League allows young people to experience engineering in action. As well as bringing excitement to STEM subjects, the students get hands-on experience with robotics and designing innovative solutions to real world problems. Developing computer programming, teamwork, problem-solving and communications skills has never been so much fun and gives students an insight into the creative and innovative careers that engineering presents.

“There is a great need for young people with STEM skills to fill the next generation of engineering roles and we are excited to see such bright young engineering minds in FIRST® LEGO® League. I’d like to wish all teams the best of luck in the Final!”

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is the operational partner for FIRST® LEGO® League in the UK & Ireland and runs the programme as part of the IET’s commitment to show young people the benefits of careers within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).