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EKC Canterbury College hosts Amey Cup

10 October 2024
EKC Canterbury College hosted this year's Amey Challenge Cup, a project which inspires female secondary school students to investigate Engineering.

EKC Canterbury College hosted this year’s Amey Challenge Cup, a project which inspires female secondary school students to investigate future careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). 

The Amey Challenge Cup takes place around the UK, with EKC Canterbury College chosen as the venue for the Kent challenge.  

Students taking part in the Amey Cup Challenge 2024
Students taking part in the Amey Cup Challenge 2024

Louise Sutcliffe, Industry Liaison Officer for Automotive and Engineering at EKC Canterbury College, was instrumental in bringing the Amey Cup to our College as part of our links with key industry. 

Speaking about the contest, Louise said: “It’s a really great event which celebrates women in stem and females in engineering.  

“We’re really privileged to be hosting it, and the students look really enthusiastic.” 

She added that the project gives students an insight into future careers in STEM.  

“It’s really exciting and we hope to hold more projects like this at the college,” she said. 

“We are hoping to do this as a whole with EKC Colleges if we can get the momentum going.” 

Louise and Melanie at the Amey Cup Challenge 24
Louise Sutcliffe, Industry Liaison Officer and Melanie Rogers, Social Value Manager at Amey.

Taking part in the challenge were students from from The Royal Harbour Academy in Ramsgate, Herne Bay High School in Herne Bay and EKC Sheppey Secondary in Sheerness. 

They were supported by EKC Canterbury College staff and Engineering students. 

Six students from years eight and nine were tasked to work together to design, construct and pitch a new bridge based on a client brief. 

Judging the competition were Toby Howe, H&T Strategic Resilience Manager from Kent County Council; Tina Eager, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University; Holly Stokes-Geddes, who is studying a PhD in Physics at the University of Kent and the Mayor of Margate, Jack Packman. 

Judges at the Amey Cup Challenge 24 standing in front of the EKC Canterbury College banner
Mayor of Margate, Jack Packman; Tina Eager, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University; Holly Stokes-Geddes, who is studying a PhD in Physics at the University of Kent and Toby Howe, H&T Strategic Resilience Manager from Kent County Council

Students were judged on their project design, construction of the model, programming, overall budget and cost effectiveness of design. 

Essential skills including their communication, creative problem solving, self-management and collaboration, as well as how students dealt with last minute alterations, also played a role in how they were ranked by judges.  

Winning the cup were EKC Sheppey Secondary. 

Melanie Rogers, Social Value Manager at Amey, said more diversity is needed in the engineering industry and feels the Amey Cup Challenge is a great way to help with that.  

“We want to give a big thank you and shout out to EKC Canterbury College for making this happen, and to Louise,” she said.  

“The atmosphere is buzzing, and the students all look so interested,” she said. 

“I think it’s lovely for students to see that there are different roles for women and I’m hoping that this will open up a whole new world for them in terms of careers and make them realise how many different parts and roles there are in engineering. 

EKC Canterbury College looks forward to continuing this partnership with Amey and inspiring future students into careers in STEM. 

Learn more about our Engineering, Manufacturing and Automotive courses and where these can take you in your future.