Students power up their skills in Toyota rocket car challenge 

Future tech stars were given a chance to sharpen their skills in a Toyota competition where teams of Year 7 school students were challenged to design, build and race a rocket-powered car from scratch. 

The event, hosted recently at the Toyota Academy training centre in Derbyshire, was part of Race to the Line, a programme promoting the uptake of science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) subjects in Greater Manchester schools to encourage a future generation of skilled technicians, designers and engineers.  

Four schools entered teams which had previously performed best in their own Rocket Car Challenge: Holmes Chapel Comprehensive, Hulme Grammar, Dixons Ashton Academy and Stretford High School. The 45 students were able to pick up useful tips from two adult teams from Toyota (GB). 

Great Academy Ashton’s Lamborghini Destroyer 2 and Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School’s JDG were joint winners, their cars both recording 44mph. Hulme Grammar’s NPT and Stretford High School’s Manchester United took the award for second place and Stretford High School’s BOB was third. 

Hulme Grammar received the Engineering Innovation Award for The Hulme Hellfires and Holmes Chapel Comprehensive’s Minion earned the “Most Creative” Award. The Great Team Spirit Award went to Formula 1 from Dixons Ashton Academy. 

In addition to the Rocket Car Challenge, the students also took part in a series of complementary activities at the Academy, including STEM dojos for skills insights.  

The three-year STEM initiative in Greater Manchester is organised by Toyota (GB), RRG, a leading automotive retail group in the region, and The Learning Partnership. It is supported by funding from Toyota Motor Europe’s Dr Van Zyl Grant programme, established in memory of the company’s late CEO who was a keen advocate of education opportunities to help underserved groups and individuals.  

Richard Balshaw, Toyota (GB) Executive Director, said: “The future success of the UK’s automotive industry relies on new generations of inspired and skilled engineers, technicians and designers coming forward. With activities such this STEM initiative and fun competition, we are giving young-people the chance to experience some of the rewards a tech-based career can offer.” 

Stephen Perry, Group Talent Acquisition Lead at the RRG Group, commented: “I spend a lot of time visiting schools and colleges because I want young people to see just how many opportunities the automotive industry can offer. Introducing The Learning Partnership to Toyota (GB) helped create a collaboration that brings those opportunities to life, and Race to the Line is a great example of that.” 

Catarina Neves, Partnership Development Manager at The Learning Partnership, added: “Closing the STEM skills gap requires us to make learning more accessible, provide inspiring experiences, and help young people understand the wide range of career pathways available to them. Through programmes such as Race to the Line, students are given the opportunity to apply their learning in practical ways and develop essential skills that are used in the field every day. Our partnership with Toyota demonstrates the powerful impact that can be achieved when education and industry work together.” 

ENDS