Midland business leaders and MPs have backed the launch of a design innovation challenge between students in Birmingham and its US namesake.
‘The Iron Bowl’ is the brainchild of William McGrath, chief executive of Aga Rangemaster, one of many local businesses who supported last week’s Birmingham Made Me Jobs Fairs, part of Birmingham Year of Science 2014 (www.birminghamyearofscience2014.com).
Mr McGrath proposed the student design competition during a live link-up between representatives of the two cities, including Sir Albert Bore, leader Birmingham City Council; Steve McCabe MP; Richard Burden MP; Jack Dromey MP; Malcolm Harbour MEP; Simon Topman, Acme Whistles and chair of Millennium Point; Jonathan Austin, President of Birmingham City Council, Alabama; Matt Chambers, Confederate Motorcycles, Alabama.
The Iron Bowl is a reference to both Abraham Darby’s innovative iron production method developed in the Midlands in 1707, as well as the annual American Football trophy contested by Alabama’s two principal universities.
Birmingham Made Me Jobs Fair included two careers fairs attended by over 1800 young people, as well as a programme of complementary events aimed at showcasing opportunities in designing and making, manufacturing, creative, professional and business in the city and region.
This included science and job workshops and a schools design competition; principal winners were George Dixon International School and King Edward VI Five Ways, Bartley Green. All category winners will be on display at the Design Expo at Millennium Point from October 27th-31st.
www.birmingham-made-me.org/young-talent/schools-design-competition/
Beverley Nielsen, Director of Employer Engagement at BCU, said: “The Birmingham Made Me Jobs Fair week was a chance for us to showcase the very best emerging talent and to link it into live jobs on offer from the employers present at the Jobs Fair. It also gave us a platform to showcase opportunities within the West Midlands working in innovation and design, as well as share best practice and knowledge, not just in the region but with our contacts in the States.”
The week of events at Millennium Point and Birmingham Metropolitan College also showcased a number of innovative new products, including the Cyber Cycle, a hydrogen fuel cell powered motorbike which has been developed by entrepreneur Spencer Ashley with support from The BIP (Birmingham Business Information Portal), staff and students of the School of Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Systems at BCU and a blind cane that aurally feedbacks objects it detects through a camera system developed by BlindxTech and the School of Computing Technology at BCU.
