*STRICT EMBARGO DECEMBER 5*

A TALENTED team of apprentices has been awarded a top prize for their development of a special tool to be used in additional needs schools.

Louis Kane and Darren McCaig, from car retailer Arnold Clark, created an interactive board to be used by teachers at Abercorn Secondary School as a resource to promote Science, Technology, Energy and Maths (STEM).

Taking five month to build using garage equipment, the invention has now secured Louis and Darren as winners of the 2018 Glasgow Apprenticeship Challenge.

Darren said: “I have really enjoyed being able to use my knowledge and the skills learned through my Engineering Apprenticeship with Arnold Clark.

"The challenge also gave me an opportunity to learn additional skills outside my apprenticeship.

"I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to participate and have really enjoyed my experience."

The competition, co-ordinated by Developing the Young Workforce (DWY) Glasgow, which is hosted by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, challenged teams of apprentices from across the city to plan, coordinate and execute projects using the skills they have developed through their apprenticeships.

The board contains visual clues which, once found, will unlock sections of a website also designed by the apprentice team.

Developed in close conjunction with Arnold Clark’s marketing team, the website teaches students about key Scottish figures in the history of STEM, such as James Watt and Alexander Graham Bell, and provides instructions for tasks including bicycle tyre repair and making a cup-and-string telephone.

The centrepiece of the project is a bike, which the team stripped and repainted with thermochronic paint.

This causes the bike to change colour when exposed to certain temperatures, so that students can see the effects of heating technology.

The bike is also connected to a watt-metre, so students’ pedalling can be converted to electricity and horsepower for measurement.

Dawn Ritchie, school and employer liaison officer at Arnold Clark, said: “The challenge has been an excellent opportunity for our apprentices to use the engineering skills they have gained throughout their apprenticeship, as well as additional interpersonal skills that they may otherwise not have had the opportunity to develop.

"The project has also helped them give back to the community by providing Abercorn Secondary with an ongoing learning platform that will help pupils learn about STEM-focused subjects in a fun and engaging way."

The winning team was announced yesterday as part of the DYW Glasgow Futures event, held at Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre.

The event presented a variety of experts and business leaders who spoke on the opportunities and issues faced by the young workforce, led by keynote speaker Gillian Docherty, chief executive of The Data Lab.

DYW is the Scottish Government’s national strategy for strengthening links between schools and businesses.

It aims to better prepare children and young adults for the world of work, with a target aim of reducing youth unemployment by 40 per cent by 2021.

Alison McRae, senior director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “A huge congratulations to the apprentices from Arnold Clark who have demonstrated the value of skills-based learning with this fantastic project.

"All the apprentices who have taken part in this year’s challenge have utilised the skills they have gained through apprenticeships across a wide range of imaginative projects.

"This has been a fantastic example of how apprenticeships can enrich Glasgow’s diverse workforce and are beneficial to employers, communities and young people alike."