Using quadcopters to get year 9 pupils into STEM

Aviation Minister helps Raytheon celebrate Britain’s young engineers 

Baroness Sugg CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, has joined with Raytheon to help celebrate some of Britain’s brightest young talents at the finale of a unique nationwide engineering competition.

School pupils from England, Scotland and Wales took to the skies to compete in Raytheon’s fourth annual Quadcopter Challenge in Birmingham this week (12 December 2018).

The contest saw 86 teams of young people from over 30 schools, cadet and youth groups near Raytheon’s sites across England, Scotland and Wales learn to build and fly unique aerial vehicles. Teams from six regions competed in Birmingham, with Kingdown School, Warminster, emerging victorious.

The teams were mentored by Raytheon’s STEM ambassadors; volunteers from the company who support local schools and youth clubs to inspire young people with STEM. The ambassadors volunteered over 2,500 hours of time during the competition.

The teams took on challenges designed to test speed, agility and accuracy, while being assessed on creativity and engineering skill. More than 1,000 young people have been supported by the scheme since its launch.

Baroness Sugg said: “It is great to see the potential of these future engineers and to see Raytheon championing science and engineering skills across the UK with this excellent competition.

“Through our Aviation Strategy we are exploring how new technologies like drones and urban air mobility vehicles will transform the way we travel, and it is vital that we develop the skills of our young people now so the UK stays at the forefront of transport innovation.

“There are many exciting careers in aerospace and aviation. Through our Year of Engineering, we are working to ensure young people from all backgrounds are aware of, and able to access, the many opportunities these jobs offer.”

Raytheon UK engineering director Alex Rose-Parfitt added: “Raytheon is eager to do its part to inspire Britain’s next generation of engineers.”

“A unique aspect of the Quadcopter Challenge is the mentoring that teams receive from our STEM ambassadors, who as well as offering advice on aerodynamics and technical tips, act as relatable, local role models, showing the huge potential of a career in STEM.”

The Quadcopter Challenge is part of Raytheon’s broader commitment to spark student interest in science, technology, engineering and math, collectively known as STEM; all designed to help nurture the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Raytheon supports over 8,000 skilled jobs in the UK.

As a UK STEM employer, Raytheon invests in initiatives to develop a future pipeline of talent in local communities and inspire future stem careers.

Over 1,000 young people have taken part in the Quadcopter Challenge since it was started in 2015

Raytheon has increased the number of school who can participate in the challenge by 50% in the last two years

Raytheon’s other UK STEM education programmes include supporting the Salford Cyber Centre to equip young people in the North West with cyber skills

The Year of Engineering is a government campaign that celebrates the world of engineering and is designed to boost engineering across the UK.

About Raytheon UK: A subsidiary of Raytheon Company. It is a prime contractor and major supplier to the U.K. Ministry of Defence and has developed strong capabilities in mission systems integration in defence, national security and commercial markets. Raytheon UK also designs, develops and manufactures a range of high-technology electronic systems and software at facilities in Harlow, Glenrothes, Gloucester, Waddington, Broughton and Manchester.