STUDENTS from around Barrow became real-life engineers for the day at a recent event.

St Bernard's High School, on Rating Lane, hosted the Institution of Engineering and Technology's Faraday Challenge on Friday, January 16.

Teams from St Bernard's, Ulverston Victoria High School, Walney School, Furness Academy, Dowdales School and Chetwynde School battled it out to research, design and build a solution to a real engineering problem.

The test subject was to develop a warning device to warn cyclists of potential hazards but it was shrouded in secrecy from the entrants to avoid any unfair preparation and research.

Teams went against the clock to come up with a solution with Ulverston Victoria High School coming out on top with a design to help cyclists battle icy road conditions.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology brough five 3D printers with them so that students could actually create their design and physically see it come to life.

Holly Margerison, Faraday Education Manager, said: “Students who take part in the Faraday Challenge Days experience hands-on design and practical work giving them a peek into the life of a real engineer, the variety of engineering out there and the central role it plays in our everyday lives.

“There is huge demand for new engineers and technicians and we’re confident that this will challenge young people’s perceptions of engineers and hopefully make them consider engineering as a career choice.”

The events aim to encourage more young people to study and consider exciting and rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and maths(STEM) by using creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills.

Pauline Duffield, head of science at St Bernard's High School, said the event was hosted at the school for the second time in three years as a way of encouraging students to consider a career in STEM.

BAE Systems and GSK are just two of the multitude of related companies that have large facilities in the area and so this event was directly applicable to the region.

Pauline said: "It's designed to encourage students to take up these subjects when they leave school so that we have the workforce for these up and coming companies."

Each team member in the winning group won a prize and a trophy for their school.

Ulverston Victoria High now progress to the next stage of the competition which will culminate in a national final on June 2015 where they compete for a cash prize of £1,000 for their school.