More pupils get chance to design and build go-carts

A project to encourage pupils' interest in science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) is to be extended to a Jersey school for children with special educational needs and could also be made available in Guernsey.

Children learn how to design, build, and market their own go-karts as part of the STEM on Track programme, before going to a Formula One track to race them.

Staff at Hautlieu College brought the course to the island and have seen its popularity grow.

The college has worked with sponsors PwC to expand it to Mont à L'Abbé School next year and is talking to schools in Guernsey about how the course could also work there.

Ronaldo, 18, and Zach, 17, both attend Mont à L'Abbé School and will take part in the STEM on Track activities.

Ronaldo said: "It's all about having fun because everyone absolutely adores it".

He added: "I got to get into one of the go-karts and the seat was a bit tight but I managed to get there in the end and it was still very amazing."

Zach said: "I want to do electronic engineering. I would actually kind of want to design and build our go-kart."

Maja, 17, is one of the Hautlieu students who have been working on STEM on Track this year.

She said: "I love designing and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have something extra to put on my CV.

"Jersey's really small and you don't get much opportunity to get out so having something like this is really good."

She said she was pleased Mont à L'Abbé School students would be able to access the course in the next school year.

"Something like this may seem like only people from public schools that could do, but everyone should get an opportunity at something like this," she said.

Carl Bowen-Price from Hautlieu College helped bring STEM on Track to Jersey and said he was pleased to see interest in the course grow.

He said: "This is giving them first class opportunities with leading professionals in the industry as well as getting them to showcase what they can do without any pressure of an exam."

Bowen-Price added: "The whole premise of the thing is inclusion and it's Mont à L'Abbé School's first time they've been involved in a mainstream project so that is just unbelievable.

"We're really pushing to expand it to everyone on the island and the vision is that we keep pushing it further and go to Guernsey as well.

"Eventually we want inter-island racing which will be the big push for the next two years."

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