Year 12 Formula One Experience Posted on: 13 May 2016

Some of our Year 12 pupils have been using their weekly enrichment time since September to successfully gain an Industrial Cadets Silver Award. This industry-backed qualification is supported by a number of prestigious UK businesses including Accenture, Airbus Group, BP, Centrica, Glaxo Smithkline, KLM, Nissan, RAF and Sage and recognised by the major universities. To complete the award, the fourteen students attended SASMI (Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation) where they were trained to use AUTOCAD – an industrial 3D design system. They were then split into teams to design, manufacture and test their own Formula One car. The cars were manufactured on state of the art 3D printers and the students then subsequently got the opportunity to test out their car designs on an F1 test track.

Finally they had to create a portfolio detailing their design and its salient features for accreditation. To be successful the teams had to demonstrate commitment away from the programme; they completed over 30 hours of work on their projects – a significant achievement when combined with their academic studies. Dean Snaith, one of the trainers and Head of Educational Developments at NAC commented that “The students showed real dedication and resilience when attending the four-month programme which was proven at the end when they produced a portfolio and a miniature F1 car. They were enthusiastic throughout and a pleasure to teach. Well done on your Silver Industrial Cadet Award!”

The skills developed during this project will prove useful when making the transition to Higher Education and the experience is something students will be able to use when writing their Personal Statements for their University applications.

Y12 Formula One Experience