Mark Pawsey MP, Member of Parliament for Rugby

Mark joins UK manufacturers to encourage young people to get excited about manufacturing careers
 
Mark Pawsey MP is proud to be launching the We Made It! competition here in Rugby, working with local schools and industry to help young people understand how exciting and rewarding a career in manufacturing could be.
 
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 Mark 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, Mark 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.
 
Mark 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.”
 
He continued:
 
“We need to rebalance our economy in favour of one where people make things.  Rugby has always been a centre of excellence for manufacturing and engineering.   It would be great if an entry from Rugby could win the nation-wide competition.”
 
He concluded:
 
“I hope that the students here in Rugby will be motivated to submit their entries into the competition.  I look forward to judging it, and to seeing the creativity of young people here.”
 
To find out more and to enter the competition, pupils can visit the competition's website, www.wemadeituk.co.uk