Paisley backs ‘We made it!’ competition for local schoolchildren

The competition will invite young people aged 13-16 to submit designs and ideas for a gadget, gizmo, toy or tool they’d like to see made. Any invention, no matter how creative, is welcome and as long as it’s realistic enough to be made there’s a chance it could be!

The entries will be judged by Ian Paisley and the winner will be entered into a nation-wide competition judged by a group of organisations involved in manufacturing, including Boeing, The Manufacturing Institute, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Finmeccanica, Renewable UK, the Confederation of Paper Industries and Lloyds Banking Group. The organisations are all partners in the Dods Manufacturing Dialogue, which is working to increase interest in manufacturing skills in schools.

The best entries nationwide will be invited to a Fab Lab, the outstanding facilities provided by MIT and the Manufacturing Institute, where their designs will be manufactured and brought to life.

Later this autumn, Ian Paisley will bring the winner of our local competition to a reception and awards ceremony in parliament and they’ll have the opportunity to meet the heads of the manufacturing organisations involved in the project and learn how to take their career in manufacturing further.

Paisley said: “I’m very proud to be supporting this great project to help young people turn their ideas into reality. Britain desperately needs more young people aspiring to high-level manufacturing jobs and gain a better understanding of how the industry and businesses involved in it actually works.

“All details for the competition are on the We Made It website and the closing date is the 22nd October. I’m encouraging as many pupils as possible to get involved in the competition so that North Antrim can bring the 1st prize home! Good luck.”

To find out more and to enter the competition, pupils can visit the competition’s website, www.wemadeituk.co.uk