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A talented team of pupils from Hermitage Academy have made it through to the UK finals of the Tomorrow’s Engineers EEP Robotics Challenge.

The youngsters beat off stiff competition in the West of Scotland heat last month and will now go head to head with other teams from across the country at The Big Bang Fair in Birmingham on 15 March.

The Tomorrow’s Engineers EEP Robotics Challenge introduces student teams to real-world engineering, technology, robotics and computing challenges. The challenge aims to help students put their school learning into context and discover exciting new careers.

The winning team of 10 students built, programmed and controlled LEGO robots for a series of ‘aviation missions’. Students also had to research, design and present their own solution to a contemporary engineering problem faced by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals in the aviation industry.

����ֱ��’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “What a massive achievement - well done to each and every member of the team.

“We want the very best for our young people and we want them to go on to achieve success in life. STEM subjects are therefore a vital part of the curriculum for excellence because they form a part of our everyday lives; so many occupations involve these subjects and, as our young people grow, there will be an increased demand for industry professionals in these areas.

“By being exposed to STEM throughout their education, our young people are more likely to develop a passion for these subjects and pursue a career in these areas in the future. I am delighted that the pupils have made it through to the final and wish them the very best of luck.”

Louise Baird, Technical Teacher at Hermitage, said: “Taking part in the Robotics Challenge has been really exciting and we can’t wait to get to the final.

“We’ve learned a lot about engineering in robotics and particularly enjoyed seeing all our hard work pay off. We would like to thank the local Round Table in Helensburgh and Go-Wright Ltd for sponsoring our trip. A big thank you also to the PTA and Philip Hartley, our STEM Ambassador from Jacobs engineering, who volunteers his time every week to support the team.  Without all the support, we could not make this club or trip happen.”