The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), Strata Manufacturing PJSC (Strata) and BAE Systems have joined hands for Make It - the UK’s Manufacturing Institute’s engineering and Manufacturing challenge - for a second year following 2015’s successful events in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

The 2016 Make It competition, which is designed to attract the UAE’s best and brightest young talents into manufacturing and engineering, will be held during Innovation Week at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi on November 21 and at UAE University in Al Ain on November 23.

The competition will bring together 13 and 14-year old students from schools across Al Ain and Abu Dhabi to work in teams to create, cost and market a new product which they will pitch to a panel of industry experts from Strata and BAE Systems.

Student products will be inspected by BAE Systems graduates and apprentices before the final judging takes place at the end of the event.

Dr Ali Rashid Al-Nuaimi, Adec’s director general, stressed on the importance of innovation week.

"Innovation week is a time when the public and private sectors collaborate to help promote the UAE leadership’s vision to drive innovation in different areas," he said.

"In line with our efforts towards equipping students with rich experiences, Adec is partnering with Strata and BAE Systems to further expose our youth to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEMS) fields," he stated.

"The Make It Competition also compliments ambitious development plans adopted by the Council to drive a 21st century education system, and innovation-based learning experience," he added.

Ismail Abdulla, the deputy CEO, Strata said: "Manufacturing has become one of the key sector pillars in the UAE today. Events such as the Make It Competition can truly help promote the skills Strata will be looking for in the next generation of technicians and engineers for our business."

"In only its second year, UAE Innovation Week has become a landmark event that all citizens of the UAE can be a part of and we proud to partner with ADEC and BAE Systems during this time. My congratulations to all involved," stated Abdulla.

Students from across 12 schools in Abu Dhabi, will compete in teams of eight for various prizes, including state-of-the-art 3D scanners and 3D printers awarded to the schools, as well as 3D pens for the winning students to encourage their continued interest in STEM related subjects.

BAE Systems’ manufacturing operations director, Dave Holmes, said: “We are delighted to be involved with Make It in the UAE for a second year.  I am looking forward to seeing how the Emirati students tackle the competition in 2016."

"Whilst the experience will be both challenging and exciting, we hope the participants will be inspired to think about their future careers, hopefully in the engineering or manufacturing industries in the UAE," he added.-TradeArabia News Service