Following the best-attended competition in its history, the UK Youth Rocketry Competition crowned Ampleforth College the winners of the National final.
The event is run by ADS, the trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, to support STEM engagement in schools. Students are tasked with creating a model rocket to carry a fragile payload: a raw egg, and then presenting to a panel of experts to explain their decision-making process.
The competition, sponsored by industry partners Airbus and Lockheed Martin and supported by the Royal Aeronautical Society, welcomed 111 teams from 60 schools across the UK. This represents a 40% increase from the 2023 competition. State schools represent 61% of schools attending the regionals, which increased from 52% the year before.
Ampleforth College will now go on to compete at the International Youth Rocketry Competition final at Farnborough International Airshow later this month month against teams from Japan, the USA, and France.
Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS said: “Congratulations to Ampleforth College on their win in a highly competitive field. I hope they can retain the UK’s International Youth Rocketry Championship title at Farnborough International Airshow.
“Our sectors engaging with young people through UKRoc and beyond, is vital to create the UK’s next generation of STEM professionals. We need the next Government to also support our future prosperity through a cross-departmental, long-term workforce strategy and reform of the Apprenticeship Levy.”
Addressing a critical skills gap
The competition is targeted towards STEM engagement, and to promote the highly-skilled, well-paid careers across the UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space industries.
Data from ADS, which has been running the competition since 2006, found that two-thirds of industry respondents to a 2023 survey saw workforce and skills shortages as significantly impacting their business growth.
ADS’ Facts and Figures 2024 found that median average salaries in the aerospace sector are 39% higher than the UK average at £48,700. While 88% of the sector’s 104,000 UK jobs are outside London and the South East. The sector also currently employs 6,000 apprentices.
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