Students from SGS Berkeley Green UTC came third in the regional First Tech UK's, Freight Frenzy Challenge.

The national competition challenged students to build robots and compete against other schools. The task this year involved robots picking up items, such as rubber ducks and balls, and placing them accurately on different levels in the fastest time.

In 2021, Raytheon UK gave a highly engaging talk to UTC students during Careers Week. The company then approached the UTC and offered funding and mentoring support for a group of 13 students to compete in First Tech UK's national competition.

The challenged allowed the UTC students to use the technical skills acquired from the STEM focused curriculum.

Joss, software engineer from Raytheon UK, said: "Through the STEM work that Raytheon UK undertakes, I was fortunate to be able to help mentor a brilliant team, from Berkeley Green UTC, with their entry to the First Tech Challenge. I was really impressed with the range of new ideas they all had, their problem-solving skills and how they worked really effectively as a team.

"In the competition, they performed well under pressure and I think the end result is a testament to all the hard work they put in."

The UTC specialises in engineering and digital studies for 14-19 year olds. As well as designing and building the robot, the engineering students used their CAD and CAM expertise to design and 3D print parts, and their machining skills to customise metal fixings on the milling machines.

Digital students worked on code that would allow the robot to operate. They also programmed an autonomous driving element to the robot, enabling it to self-park.

Paul Shaddick, a digital teacher from the UTC, said: "We had a great day together, following on from months of working as a team, and couldn't be happier with the result."

The UTC recruits students from across the local area. They can join at the start of year 10 for GCSE courses and from year 12 for post-16 options. The application round for September 2022 is still open.