On April 27th, we completed the 12-week Industrial Cadets Bronze Challenge, which is an essential part of the Engineering Development Trust (EDT)'s portfolio. It creates pathways to unlock potential and promote achievement for young people. Industrial Cadets is a well-known skills-based quality framework accreditation that enables participants to gain industry-led recognition awards. The program was inspired by His Royal Highness HM King Charles III.
During the challenge, we developed valuable employability skills such as communication, problem-solving, and project management. We were also supported throughout the project by an industry mentor Mr Phillips and our teacher Mrs Arthur.
At the Industrial Cadets Bronze Project Graduation Event, which was held at the University of Aberdeen, we presented our project on designing a building that is future-proofed against the effects of climate change. Here are some comments from our team: "
Olivia: During our presentation, I felt that everyone spoke clearly and respectfully without interrupting each other. Personally, I had a good understanding of the topic I presented, which allowed me to communicate confidently and effectively. I also enjoyed building my skills for the animation we displayed at the presentation, Overall, I found the experience to be fantastic, and I gained a lot of valuable knowledge from it.
Libby: This was an incredible project to work on and I had an amazing time working together in our team. We had such a great time together and I loved working on the model as it is something that I am really passionate about. The presentation to the judges went really well and we got lots of great feedback. I also loved putting together the presentation with everyone and I thought it turned out brilliantly.
Lena: The presentation was an excellent experience and I really enjoyed the challenge of answering questions at the end and trying to work on my on-the-spot thinking. I also enjoyed putting together the board and making it look really good when the judges came over to our table to see what we had been working on. I definitely learned a lot of new skills and had a lot of fun along the way!
Aishah: I enjoyed attending the graduation event and exploring the Aberdeen University campus. It was fascinating to see various places on the campus. The presentation was a great opportunity for us to showcase our findings to the judges. Additionally, I found it intriguing to see other people's solutions and the ideas they had come up with. Overall, this was an incredible journey, and I learned a lot from it.
Dami: I had an incredible experience in the EDT competition. We took a tour all over the Aberdeen University campus and were able to see all the possible subjects and areas we could study in the future. We also managed to set up our models and presentation and take a look at everyone else’s. We all enjoyed presenting our work and answering the judges' intriguing questions while also listening to our competitors' presentations as well. Overall I have learnt many new skills that will help me in the future and I had a great time.
Freya: I had a fantastic time working with this team, we all cooperated with each other easily and swiftly in order to complete tasks on time. At first, I was slightly nervous about the presentation and was unsure what to think of it, but once we started my confidence grew and we gave our best. I would most definitely do this again if I was given the option and it was an incredible experience.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed and found this process fascinating. We gained valuable skills that we can use later in life. It was incredible to see how all the pieces came together, and we are grateful to our mentor and our teachers Mrs Arthur and Mrs Tapper. We hope to have more opportunities to experience similar projects in the future