West Hill pupils motor on with Greenpower challenge

West Hill pupils motor on with Greenpower challenge

Pupils from West Hill High School have built the first ever Greenpower car in Tameside as they completed their final week of summer term.  The year 9 pupils constructed the self-powered car from kit form to learn about green technologies in a project organised by Tameside College.  Friends and family were joined by supporters from higher education, the local authority and industry at a presentation evening to celebrate the achievements of the pupils.

The Greenpower programme, supported by Siemens, is a national project to encourage school pupils to learn more about green technology.  Teams are encouraged to design and build the battery powered cars for distance rather than speed.  The West Hill School team will now prepare the car for competition in September when they will compete at the Greenpower regional heats at Aintree motor racing circuit in Liverpool.

The project has been designed to raise awareness of careers and pathways to university in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) sectors with funding from Greater Manchester Higher.

Paul Wilkinson, motor sports teacher at Tameside College, said: “The Greenpower project has been a great success. The West Hill High school pupils have applied themselves to every aspect of the project.  As well as demonstrating a great technical awareness they have developed other valuable skills such as teamwork and communication skills.  We are looking forward to testing the car and taking it to the regional competition in September”.

Teresa Farran, deputy principal at Tameside College: “We are delighted that the Greenpower project has had such an impact on the pupils and their families.  We know that there is an increasing demand for technical skills from employers in the STEM sectors.  The pupils have grown in confidence and this experience will show them that anything is possible”.

Tameside College opens its purpose built Advanced Technology Centre in September and plans further events and activities to coincide with Manchester celebrating its status as the Capital of Science 2016.

The Greenpower project is supported by: West Hill High School, Tameside College, Greenpower trust, Siemens, Tameside MBC, Engineering Futures and Greater Manchester Higher.



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