Ebbw Fawr Learning Community pupils win Cardiff and Vale College Aero Challenge 2024

A team of six Year 10 pupils from Ebbw Fawr Learning Community have won the Cardiff and Vale College Aero Challenge 2024 with the highest score ever recorded.

Now in its 12th year, the Aero Challenge sees Year 10 pupils from schools across south Wales compete in a series of activities which this year included piloting a drone, a flight simulator, building an electronics circuit using parallel circuits, making dog-tags, an egg-drop challenge and jacking up a Bulldog plane. The competition is based at CAVC’s renowned International Centre for Aerospace Training (ICAT) at Cardiff Airport and is designed to raise awareness of training in the Aerospace industry and of STEM subjects.

This year the event was also supported by the College’s apprentices from local aircraft maintenance provider Caerdav, which brought a whole new dynamic to the contest. The pupils engaged with the apprentices as they were close in age, and school staff present had taught some of the apprentices and were thrilled to catch up with them.

The team from Ebbw Fawr Learning Community were up against 23 other teams from four Vale of Glamorgan schools, five Cardiff schools and schools from Bridgend and Cwmbran. They scored the most points a team has scored in the Aero Challenge’s 12-year history, and have won a trophy and £250 of vouchers towards STEM equipment for their school.

Ebbw Fawr Learning Community STEM Coordinator Chris Eveleigh said: “The pupils had a fantastic time at the Aero Challenge. When my pupils first arrived they were very nervous but staff were so warm, friendly and encouraging that by the end of the first challenge pupils were clearly relaxing and enjoying themselves.

“It was great to watch the pupils use their STEM skills throughout the day but what they learned the most was how to communicate and work together as a team. As a teacher, I felt very proud when they worked together to successfully jack and level an aircraft. The best thing about the whole day was watching the pupils grow in confidence and attempt to do things they couldn’t even imagine doing at the start of the day.

“I would thoroughly recommend that other schools take part in the future.”

Year 10 pupil Nnaemeka Chukwurasalu said: “It was a wonderful day. I loved using the equipment - my favourite part was the drones.”

Fellow pupil Dylan Tarr said: “I loved all of the hands-on activities, especially when we jacked and levelled the aircraft. I would recommend going again.”

Cardiff and Vale College Principal Sharon James said: “Congratulations to the team from Ebbw Fawr Learning Community for not only winning the Aero Challenge, but also for coming away with the highest score ever!

“At CAVC we are strong believers in in the value of skills-based competitions and the talents they help develop. It is especially important that we encourage young people, especially young girls, into careers in Aerospace and STEM and fun competitions such as this Challenge do a great deal to help with that – a huge thank you to all of the College staff who organised and ran this year’s Aero Challenge.”