A group of ambitious students, from Erdington Academy, are one step closer to the final of a national engineering competition, after winning their heat in Birmingham.
Six girls from Year 9 are competing in the Amey Challenge Cup, a series of competitions held across the UK to inspire girls from underprivileged areas into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Although girls still take STEM GCSEs at similar rates to boys, only 26% of the UK’s STEM workforce is female. Erdington Academy and Amey share a strong commitment to changing that picture, and their partnership reflects a joint determination to give girls meaningful, hands‑on experiences that build confidence and open pathways into real engineering careers.
During the heat on 3 February, the Erdington Academy team was tasked with responding to a simulated infrastructure emergency: the collapse of a bridge. Working as a professional project team, they developed a full rebuild proposal, considering technical design, sustainability, budgeting, project planning and stakeholder needs before presenting their solution to industry judges.
Erdington Academy’s Senior Technician Mr Broughton said: “The judges were impressed by the students’ professionalism, creativity and their ability to tackle real‑world engineering challenges, even when financial and ecological curve‑balls were thrown into the mix. Their winning presentation showed strong technical thinking and excellent teamwork.”
Each year, around 500 students, aged between 13 and 15, take part in regional heats of the Amey Challenge Cup across the UK. The list of finalists will be announced in April, with the 2026 final taking place in Birmingham on Tuesday 23 June, to coincide with Women in Engineering Day.
