In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and education, mentorship plays a pivotal role in helping to shaping the future of the industry. As technology progresses at a breakneck pace, continuous learning and effective mentorship have become essential components for success. Mentorship not only bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application but also fosters a collaborative environment where innovation thrives.
I am just ending a 2 month STEM mentoring programme where I have been mentoring students through a STEM platform. This has been an interesting and sometimes difficult way of mentoring someone as I am normally mentoring face to face or via a video conference call.
Interesting and sometimes difficult as you don’t really know the person on the other side of the screen as you might normally to help tailor advice and read body language to gauge if your advice and guidance is resonating. You can only ask and respond to questions which make you think longer and harder about the language and tone of your questions and answers, then sending them in and awaiting approval via the monitored and recorded platform. The great thing about the platform I was using was the help and guidance from the central team, stimulating conversation through suggesting topics to discuss for both mentor and mentee.
This experience has been educational to me as I hope as much for the students I have been helping. I have learnt more about considering my responses in a mentoring session and about the value and outcomes of the answers I have given, which I will be taking into my other mentoring sessions.
The main lesson for me has been about being more succinct in a written response and writing in a way to keep it engaging for the students. They wanted to hear about experiences have been and what lessons have been learnt. Tailoring and customising advice and support to help them learn to overcome specific challenges, for instance mastering a new programming language in short paragraphs and not into a book is a good skill for anyone to learn. As the saying goes Keep it Simple!
Looking further a field though outside of STEM opportunities there is a gap of industry mentoring back into education to help bridge the gap between students taking courses and graduating, and joining the business world.
The key benefits of this would be:
Personalised guidance and support
Bridging the gap between theory and practice
Building confidence and professional networks
Encouraging lifelong learning
Promoting diversity and inclusion
It would be good to see more of this type of mentoring going on to help fulfil the growing number of vacancies in the tech world and also encourage more students into the field of tech.
As technologists, we often find ourselves navigating a landscape of constant innovation, rapid changes, and complex problem-solving. In this dynamic environment, failure is not only inevitable but also an essential part of our journey.
Rather than fearing failure, we can learn to embrace it as a catalyst for personal growth and professional development.
”Failure is another stepping stone to greatness” – Oprah Winfrey
What Is Failing Forward?
“Failing forward” is a mindset that encourages us to view failures as steps toward success. Instead of seeing failure as a problem and something that causes issues and pain with no way forward, look at it as a valuable learning experience that strengthens you going forward. Embrace the failure, learn from it and move onwards.
Learning Opportunities
Every failure provides an opportunity to learn. Whether this is a missed deadline, code bug, or something else, there is always a learning and something for you to gain from the experience.
Reflecting on what you did and what happened can help inform you and allow you to make decisions based on experience gained. Extract the lessons that can help shape your future and if needed write them down so you can refer to them at a later date.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison
Iterative Improvements
Learning from failures allows you to try again and approaching things in iterative improvements and steps brings you closer to success. Even the most successful products and technologies available today went through multiple iterations before reaching their current state.
Resilience
Resilience is build through failing forward and is a crucial skill for technologists, especially in a field where challenges are constant. Developing ability to bounce back, adapt, and keep moving forward helps to build this resilience.
Normalize Failure
Normalizing failure is the hardest step as not everyone wants to see or hear of failure, but most will experience it within their lives. Sharing failure with others and celebrating the learning from it helps to bring a change in talking positively about failure.
It’s okay to stumble; it’s part of the journey, learn from it.
Let’s geek out for a moment. If you’re a technologist eager to master storytelling, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) might just be your secret weapon. Whether you’re a seasoned player from your school days or someone who’s never rolled a twenty-sided die, there’s something in D&D for you. And if you’re new to the realm of tabletop RPGs, buckle up for an adventure that’s as educational as it is entertaining.
D&D is a fantasy table top role-playing game (RPG) where players embark on imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A player designated as the Dungeon Master (DM) serves as the game’s referee and storyteller, while also maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants. Players each create characters to represent themselves within the game, making choices for their characters and engaging in a structured yet open-ended storytelling experience. The outcomes of the characters’ choices are determined by the rules of the game, how the DM tells the story and player choices guided by dice rolls which add an element of chance to the proceedings. It provides a unique blend of structured rules and spontaneous storytelling which allow for an immersive gaming experience that encourages creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Storytelling is an essential skill in the world of business and technology. It’s not just about conveying information; it’s about engaging your audience, sharing experiences, and inspiring action.
For technologists, whose work often involves complex concepts, data and understanding the customers business needs and outcomes. The ability to tell a compelling story can be the difference between being heard and being overlooked.
Enter Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the classic fantasy role-playing game known for its rich narratives and imaginative gameplay. You may be familiar with D&D and it may seem like a something that should be dismissed, however it is a powerful tool for honing the art of storytelling and building your skills.
If you get an opportunity to try, it is worth a go. If not there are lots of good videos on YouTube with games you can watch and learn from.
Also worth noting that this Saturday 22nd June is Free RPG Day where you can go to a gaming shop and try out some RPG and walk away with a short free game to play. Some will be available on the internet if your not able to attend an event.
Here’s how playing D&D can transform technologists into master storytellers.
Embrace Creativity and Improvisation
D&D is a game of imagination. Players create characters and embark on adventures in a fantasy world, guided by a Dungeon Master (DM) who narrates the story. This requires a high level of creativity and the ability to improvise, as the narrative can change with each roll of the dice.
Technologists can learn from this by practicing how to think on their feet and adapt their narratives to suit different audiences and situations. Whether you’re explaining a new software feature or pitching an innovative product, the ability to weave a story that resonates with your listeners is invaluable.
Understand Your Audience
A good DM knows their players and crafts a story that caters to their interests and motivations. Similarly, technologists must understand their audience to communicate effectively. By playing D&D, you learn to anticipate reactions, tailor your message, and engage listeners by addressing their needs and desires.
Understanding your audience is a critical skill for technologists including recognising the diverse needs, preferences, and challenges faced by business and the end users. A technologist needs to tailor the approach to the audience’s level of expertise, interests, and expectations using language that is accessible, providing examples that are relatable, and anticipating questions or concerns that may arise. Storytelling provides the way to do this and by putting yourself in the audience’s shoes, you can communicate more effectively, and ultimately, ensure that your story achieves the intended impact.
Develop Empathy
Role-playing in D&D requires players to step into the shoes of their characters, understanding their backgrounds, motivations, and emotions. This exercise in empathy is directly transferable to the world of technology. By understanding the user’s perspective, technologists can create more user-centric products and explain them in a way that highlights their benefits to the end-user.
For technologists, developing empathy is about more than just understanding users’ needs. Developing skills and ability to see beyond the data and algorithm, to the people they impact provides a deeper prospective and helps build a stronger story to tell. It is also important to listen actively, asking the right questions, and being open to feedback.
Collaborate and Build Teamwork
D&D is a collaborative game. Players work together, each contributing their unique skills to achieve a common goal. In the tech industry, collaboration is key. Working on projects, especially in agile environments, mirrors the teamwork in D&D. Learning to collaborate in the game can improve how you work with others professionally, leading to more cohesive and successful outcomes.
Collaboration and teamwork are not just beneficial to a technologist; they are essential. Building a culture of teamwork means fostering an environment where diverse ideas and skills converge to innovate and solve complex problems. A good technologist recognises that the sum of a team’s collective expertise is greater than its individual parts. Using a team to help develop the story and sound/test it on can help push the boundaries of what’s possible and drive technological advancement.
Playing Dungeons & Dragons is more than just entertainment; it’s a training ground for the mind. It teaches technologists to be creative, empathetic, and collaborative storytellers. Playing games like D&D (other RPG’s are available) can help sharpen your storytelling skills as well as having some fun.
Recently I have undertaken the Green Software for Practitioners (LFC131) course and exam from the Linux Foundation which I found to be an informative course. I decided to write this article as it is a course that I would recommend to IT Professionals no matter what specialism you have. It is also a free course and exam that provides a certificate and digital badge that show you have an understanding of the topic and some principles to apply to help reduce carbon emissions.
The course covers the topic list below in good detail and provides an insight into each area, with a knowledge check at the end.
Carbon Efficiency
Energy Efficiency
Carbon Awareness
Hardware Efficiency
Measurement
Climate Commitments
The exam is 20 questions and requires an 85% pass mark in order to complete.
This course may not provide all the answers but does provide a good level for you to understand the topic.
Further Reading
To provide some further reading on climate change the article linked below is one that I helped write on preparing your business for climate change.
“Staying ahead of the curve” is an important skill set for any technologist. Knowing what is going on both internally to your company and externally, builds your knowledge capability from following strategy to identifying trends and innovation provides you with an edge to being technologist.
Information and technology is evolving at a rapid rate, so how can you stay ahead of the curve? This is something that needs a multifaceted approach dedication is a hard task to know everything so you have to build your own information strategy and filter what is important and what is just noise or not relevant.
Below are some essential strategies to help you to stay ahead of the curve.
Embrace a Growth Mindset
Learning increases your understand and get to grips with technology and business skills. These should be balanced with soft skills to help make you a more rounded technologist. Coined by psychologist Carol S. Dweck, a Growth Mindset is the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, hard work, and resilience. This mindset is in stark contrast to a fixed mindset, which assumes that intelligence and talent are innate and unchangeable.
Networking encompasses the art of building meaningful relationships, fostering connections, and creating a collaborative community. Just as computer networks enable the flow of information, networking with people propels the exchange of ideas, opportunities, and support.
Building a Professional Network: A strong professional network can open doors to opportunities, provide valuable insights, and support your career journey. Focus on Quality Connections to build out your network and prioritise meaningful relationships over a large number of contacts. Its not about numbers but how you connect with your network.
Joining Tech Communities and Forums: Participate and join industry-specific organisations, alumni groups, and online communities which will help grow your knowledge, skills and connections. Joining professional organisations such as the BCS can provide access to a wide areas of knowledge and professionals.
Attending Meetups and Networking Events: There are lots of meetups and events that can come from joining communities. Events both physical and virtual are a good platform to meeting others with similar technological mindsets. This is also a method to build your professional network.
Knowledge Exchange: Networking is a two-way street where professionals share insights, experiences, and knowledge. Engaging with peers, both online and offline, allows technologists to tap into a vast pool of expertise. Whether it’s troubleshooting code, discussing the latest frameworks, or sharing project experiences, networking facilitates meaningful knowledge exchange.
Early Access to Information: Being part of a network often means gaining early access to information. Whether it’s insider tips on upcoming technologies, insights into industry shifts, or exclusive event invitations, networking provides a conduit for staying ahead of the curve. Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter can be powerful channels for real-time updates.
Mentorship Opportunities: Establishing connections with experienced professionals opens the door to mentorship opportunities. A mentor can provide guidance, share industry wisdom, and help navigate the complexities of career growth. Mentorship relationships foster continuous learning and personal development.
Tech News and Trends
Keeping updated on the latest trends and developments in both the technology and business sectors is a key activity for any technologist. This includes understanding how emerging technologies may impact various industries and be aware of the business challenges and opportunities associated with these changes.
Newsfeed: Create a personalised newsfeed using diversified sources to provide up to date news and trends on the topics that are of interest to your area of technology. Consider expanding to other areas to learn new things. Looking at different industries and technology areas can often bring fresh and new perspectives on things, whilst also providing possible innovation ideas.
Newsletters: Subscribe to newsletters from reputable tech publications. They often curate relevant articles and deliver them directly to your inbox.
Podcasts: Listening to a diverse set of podcasts can provide insights and opinions into business, technology and news.
Blogs: Follow technology blogs that cover industry trends, product launches, and expert insights. Regularly reading blog posts can keep you informed.
Understanding the Business Side of Technology
As a technologist, it’s imperative to move beyond the confines of it, coding and technical expertise to comprehend the broader business implications work and projects. Understanding the business side of technology is a transformative skill set that not only enhances individual career prospects but also positions the technologist as a professional integral to organisational success.
Stay Informed About Industry Trends: Keep yourself updated on the latest trends and developments in both the technology and business sectors. Understand how emerging technologies may impact various industries and be aware of the business challenges and opportunities associated with these changes.
Read Business Literature: Reading business-oriented literature helps to expand your thinking and mindset beyond a technical view. Sources such as industry reports, business magazines, and books can provide insights into the strategic aspects of technology in business.
Engage in Cross-Functional Collaboration: Actively seek opportunities to collaborate with professionals and key stakeholders from different departments within your organisation. Engaging with colleagues from different departments can provide valuable perspectives on how technology aligns with and supports various business outcomes and functions.
Attend Business Conferences and Seminars: Participate in conferences and seminars that focus on the intersection of technology and business. These events often feature industry leaders sharing insights into how they leverage technology to achieve business objectives.
Build Relationships with Business Stakeholders: Identify and develop relationships with key stakeholders in your organisation. Regular conversations with these individuals can provide valuable insights into the business goals and challenges that technology can address.
Understand Financial Implications: Learn the basics of financial principles and how they relate to technology projects. This will help you to understand and how to assess the costs and benefits of technology initiatives, and how to communicate these aspects to non-technical stakeholders.
Map Technology Solutions to Business Objectives: Always keep the broader business objectives in mind when working on technology projects. Understand how the project / your work contributes to the organisation’s outcomes and business goals will allow you to articulate the business value of solutions.
A year ago I wrote about the hidden cost of reading articles and visiting websites. Cookies were created in 1994 by Lou Montulli who was a web browser programmer at Netscape Communications at the time. Cookies are an important part of a site being able to provide information and help track a user with purchasing items and store items in their basket. They also help provide marketing revenue for sites and clicks to products based on a users usage habits.
However 30 years on from the first cookie, is our relationship with cookies becoming more strained? 2024 will see more developments with cookies and API’s as a replacement and this year will see more developments in this area.
I regularly clear out my cookies via an automated task, I get the inevitable popup and text, asking me to accept cookies to proceed to the site I am on. Sites can create and track their own cookies, and some use third party tools and services to provide cookies and manage them.
Visiting a site I get a popup asking me to share access to my device and data allowing 1550 other companies to store and access cookies on my browser. This is isn’t really something I want to do and dont really have anything to do with the site I am visiting. Only the ability to Accept All is available and I do not really want to spend the time checking through 1550 partners to see what they really want to do on my device. No thanks. I will find the information or product via a different site that provides better options to manage these.
These services do have a Reject All option, but some sites choose not to display this ability.
Whilst there is a need for cookies, I can’t help but wonder how many people just click the accept all button and how many people will really sit and review the information on the 1550 partners that their data will be shared with?
Browser companies have already started to block or phase out support for third party cookies for the past couple of years. The 4th January 2024 marks the start of Google starting to phase out the use of third party cookies, with a full phasing out by the end of Q3 2024.
Third-party cookies are the main mechanism that enables cross-site tracking. Several major browsers have either already placed restrictions on third-party cookies in some way or are planning to. Third-party cookies also enable many valid use cases, such as managing state in embedded content or enabling user sessions across multiple sites.
As part of the Privacy Sandbox project, Chrome is phasing out support for third-party cookies and proposing new functionality for cookies along with purpose-built APIs to continue supporting legitimate use cases while preserving user privacy. The phase out will be gradual and starts from January 4th, 2024 with disabling third-party cookies for 1% of users to facilitate testing.
As 2024 begins I have updated my PKMS (Personal Knowledge Management System) to keep up with the latest developments in knowledge management and my own priorities. You can use this as a pattern to help create your own PKMS and stay informed and ahead of the curve.
A PKMS is a system that can help you manage and organise personal knowledge, which includes information that is relevant to your personal and professional life.
A well crafted and maintained PKMS can provide a capability for:
Continuous Learning:
Together with a growth mindset a PKMS facilitates a structured approach to acquiring, organising, and reviewing knowledge.
Increased Productivity:
Access to relevant organised information as you need it, keeping you ahead of the curve.
Knowledge Retention:
Ability to store and retrieve information as required in an organised repository.
Adaptability:
Technology, Information and Data evolves on a daily basis and it is important to stay informed.
I still believe strongly in separating my personal social and business social, although there is the occasional need for the two to cross. These are the tools that I use. There are lots of other tools available that you could use to build a PKMS yourself.
Personal Life
Personal Journal
My go to notebook of choice for Journaling is still the Moleskine plain pocket book and I am on journal number 37, soon to be no 38. Its quality and paper is good enough for my needs and archival quality. I still favour the Pilot ball ink pens (0.5 or 0.7) as they flow nicely on the page. See my blog post No batteries required for further details.
Social Media
In keeping my work life separate from my personal life, I use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook for friends and family with appropriate two factory and security settings in place. Even with those settings you still need to consider that once something is online, it could be public in the future.
Professional Life
Research
This is split into several areas and these are a few of the inputs that I use to grab information, feeds, data from:
Streaming Services
RSS Feeds
Podcasts
TED Talks
Web Searches
Blog Posts
Courses
Reading
This is a high level list of the types of content that I gain information from for research and learning.
Streaming Services covers platforms such as YouTube. The availability of cameras and online streaming platforms, more content is being made available and recorded by people to pass on their knowledge.
RSS Feeds low my to pull updates from sites into Feedly.
Podcasts cover both Audio and Video casts that I watch/stream online or download to my Phone / Media Player (Audio and Videos) to listen to when I am on journeys in the car or other transportation methods or out walking the dog. Daily walks with the dog provide a good time to listen to these.
The amount of online learning available today is huge from free MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) to paid for course such as Udemy and LinkedIn. Lots of vendors now provide a good level of free training for their products and solutions. This category also covers courses that I can take through work.
Feedly
Feedly provides an aggregation tool which I use to collect the stories from blogs and web sites. This provides a list of stories that can be scanned tin a few minutes on a single screen without going via multiple sites. Clicking on a story will bring up a snippet from the source site and provide the link to read the source article if required. Using a series of key strokes you can read the headlines, then move down the articles at a reasonable speed, stopping and opening when needed.
Sources can be categorised to allow an all view or just whats new in a category.
Thinking Time
Thinking Time covers the time that I spend absorbing the PKMS information coming in from the different sources and then also process and apply in different ways. It is also good to spend time reflecting on what I have learnt and think of different and new way to use the information and learnings.
Note Taking
I use two tools now for note taking, OneNote and Obsidian. I favour obsidian as it uses markdown which I use a lot in GitHub for documentation, and its ability to structure data in a logical way and allows you to query data in an interactive graph.
Blogging and Being Social
Following my Thinking Time I gather my thoughts and research and write these down through my blogs and podcasts and publish these on Social Media, WordPress and GitHub.
AI
I have not yet introduced any AI to my PKMS, but hopefully in 2024 I will find the right tool to help automate and filter the information I am consuming and keep me on top of my learning.
Further Reading
If you are looking for inspiration in creating your own PKMS, Reddit has a great list of PKMS tools that is worth a look and a discussion board on setting up a PKMS.
Today’s world is rapidly changing, driven in part by technology, which has become a driving force behind virtually every industry. Technological advancements are reshaping the way we live and work in both work and home life. For professionals across various fields, the journey through their careers is now marked by witnessing paradigm shifts brought about by these tech evolutions.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
George Bernard Shaw
What is a Paradigm Shift
Paradigm Shifts were first wrote about by Thomas Kuhn in his influential work “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” Khun used the term in relation to natural sciences, however the concept has also been used in non-scientific contexts such as in business and technology. A paradigm shift refers to a fundamental change in the way something is understood, interpreted, or approached. In the context of science and technology, a paradigm shift occurs when the dominant and accepted way of thinking, problem-solving, or conducting activities in a particular field is replaced by a new and often revolutionary perspective.
Paradigm shifts can be both disruptive and challenging as they can challenge existing ways of thinking, norms, practices and beliefs. Paradigm shifts go beyond just change as they can change the underlying assumptions and methodologies. They can often lead to on one hand ambiguity and on the other innovations and changes that can reshape. It is better to embrace these paradigm shifts and changes although they may be unsettling, and remove the ambiguity through research, questioning and expanding upon the area covered, embracing the unknown.
In the context of technology, paradigm shifts occur when new breakthroughs or innovations redefine the normal of an industry, often rendering old methods or tools obsolete. There have been many examples of this through time from the Industrial Revolution to semiconductors and communications. Consider how many shifts have happened to the industries involved for the device your reading this blog on.
How can you navigate Paradigm Shifts
There are several steps you can take to help navigate these paradigm shifts:
Continuous Learning and Upskilling: Keeping up to date and staying relevant is an important factor to adapt and work with new paradigm shifts as they happen. Using an IDP (Individual Development Plan) to map out your training needs provides a good way of ensuring you are looking at the right areas to develop yourself in. Recording learning in a CPD record allows you to reflect on what you have learnt and allow for and direction changes in your IDP. There are lots of good ways to learn from course to webinars and blogs.
Adopting a Growth Mindset: Having a Growth Mindset in which you are comfortable with the amount of change and the rapid paradigm shifts that are happening is about growing yourself through being curiosity and a willingness to fail fast and learn from your mistakes. The term Growth Mindset comes from the study and theory of Dr Carol Dweck that intelligence can be developed. This can be applied to every person young and old to reach higher levels of achievement.
Researchand Insights: Building a PKMS (Personal Knowledge Management System) is a good way of gaining information, research and insights into new and emerging paradigm shifts. These can help with learning and upskilling.
Networking and Collaboration: Building a strong professional network can provide you with insights into emerging trends and technologies. Using channels such as LinkedIn can provide access to thought leadership posts, research and data from others that will help with navigating paradigm shifts. Collaborating with colleagues, attending industry events, and engaging in online communities can expose you to diverse perspectives and help you identify potential areas for growth.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Professionals who can adapt quickly to change and deal with ambiguity are better positioned to thrive. Being flexible in your approach to these paradigm shifts, work and open to new ways of doing things can set you apart with the rapidly changing world.
Embracing Interdisciplinary Knowledge: Many of today’s technological breakthroughs occur at the intersection of different disciplines, however it is important to consider the intersection of technology and ethics and the impact that this can have with any paradigm shift. Having a basic understanding of related fields can provide you with a broader perspective and enable you to contribute innovative solutions.
Leadership and Initiative: Being active and engage/embracing new technologies and paradigm shifts can become leaders in your field. Taking the above steps can help you to explore, learn and experiment with emerging technologies, trends and paradigm shifts as they occur. This can open the opportunity for you to position yourself as an early adopter, influencer and go-to leader for your peers.
A new article on the BBC website caught my attention this morning “Warning firms may use brain data to watch workers“. Research and development into the ability to use brain waves and patterns to control things and help people interact with the real world has been going on for some years. Timely as I picked up a copy of 1984 by George Orwell at a jumble sale last month to reread again and am part way through the novel at the moment.
“Brain waves were first discovered in animals in 1875. Hans Berger was the first to record them in humans in 1925. He was so surprised by the results that he did not publish them until 1929 and was met with skepticism for some time. But by the 1950s, EEGs became widespread in its use for detecting brain activity. ”
Fast forward to modern times and Elon Musk is capturing the news with his Neuralink brain chip research into developing a chip that can be placed inside a human head to interface with things. Musk isn’t the only company developing this type of technology and the patents for different techs are being created and filed.
Regulatory bodies and governments are moving at pace to ensure that a good level of legislation, governance and regulation sits across the fast moving technology breakthroughs. There has already been legislation, guidance and strategies published by many countries on emerging technologies such as AI and Quantum Computing.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK have previously released insight on Biometrics and is not looking into Neurotechnology.
Are we heading into the world of cyborgs. Most probably yes. There are already products available to hack your body with from magnets to NFC and RFID chips to open doors and make payments which can be implanted into your hand.
Back to the news article I opened this blog with and a number of questions immediately jump out, will companies / governments be able to read our thoughts in the future? Will Thinkpol become a reality? What does this type of technology do to GDPR and other regulations? What is the intersection between AI and Neurotechnology and what is the impact? There are lots of questions like this which are aimed to be looked at in the ICO’s insight into Neurotechnology and other reports and investigations being carried out.
The benefits though to medicine and helping people is huge and all points of view should be considered and well balanced when looking at the pros, cons and regulation of this emerging technology.
Its too early to answer any of these yet however it is an interesting area of technology that is developing rapidly and one to watch.
The competition was open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK and this is its 10th year of running.
Judging the entries was a great experience, taking part in three of the panels in the North West. It was interesting to see the unconstrained thinking of the Young People and as the entry levels grew in ages, the more constraints that could be seen and number of entries.
There were some excellent entries looking at innovative solutions to real world problems, but I cant mention any due to the competition rules.
Its great that these types of competitions exist and would encourage schools to get involved with Primary Engineer and their competitions.
Max Hemingway 