Pupils switch on to Technology Challenge

Some of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire's brightest pupils faced up to three of the area's leading high-tech companies for a technology challenge at Hillington Park Innovation Centre.

The Centre was the host for this year's Technology Innovation Challenge, where third year pupils with an interest in science are given the chance to go hands on with real business projects.

Pupils from St Andrew's Academy, Paisley, Gryffe High School, Houston and Park Mains High School, Erskine joined up with teams from Port Glasgow High School, Notre Dame High School, Greenock and St Columba's High School, Gourock to go head to head over projects designed by three of the area's most promising young technology companies.

The companies setting the challenge included Keypoint Technologies who designed a task around using their innovative new predictive texting technology. Other projects included an internet marketing exercise and a chance to use the latest camera phone technology as part of a learning exercise in wireless technology.

The Challenge was organised by Careers Scotland with support from Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire as a way of getting more young people motivated to think about a career in technology and even inspire them to think about starting their own technology-based business when they leave school. 

"Scotland has a declining numbers of students interested in science generally so it is important to think creatively about how to reverse this trend. Here in Renfrewshire we have some the country's most cutting edge companies working out of Hillington who are the ideal people to inspire the next generation of innovators."

"Hopefully in a few years we will see some of these pupils back at the Innovation Centre looking for help to get their own technology business started," said SE Renfrewshire's skills director, Gordon McGuiness.

 

Keypoint's marketing manager Andrew Glen helps Kathleen Speirs from St Columba's High School and Aidan McLouglin from St Andrew's Academy get to grips with the latest predictive  texting technology.