Parliamentary Praise for Scarborough Students Following Global STEM Success

The remarkable achievement of students from Scarborough University Technical College (UTC) at the global STEM racing championships has been formally acknowledged in the House of Commons this week.

Scarborough and Whitby MP, Alison Hume, highlighted the Scarborough team's need to self-fund their success compared to state-supported international competitors.

The Scarborough UTC team, known as SBA Unity racing, secured an impressive third place, bringing home the bronze medal from the prestigious Aramco STEM Racing World Finals. This international competition requires young people to design, build, and test a 15-centimetre scale model car, an intensive challenge formerly known as F1 in Schools, which often requires teams to work for up to three years to achieve international success.

The team’s journey to third place built on their previous performance at the UK National Final, where they were crowned UK winners. In addition to their overall standing, the team will be returning home with the Scrutineering Award, having also been nominated for Best Engineered Car, Pit Display, and Research and Development.

Funding Disparity Highlighted in Parliament

The success of the SBA Unity racing team was brought to the attention of the House by Alison Hume, Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby. Ms Hume used the platform to contrast the team's fundraising efforts with the financial backing received by those who finished ahead of them.

Ms Hume asserted that the Scarborough team raised a substantial amount of money independently to attend the finals. Addressing the House, Ms Hume said:

"I recently had the pleasure of meeting the SBA Unity racing team from Scarborough University Technical College, which came third at the STEM Racing world finals in Singapore.

The Scarborough team raised a whopping £30,000 to compete, while the teams from Germany and Australia that beat them had financial support from their Governments.

Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating students Jack, Mandy, Ryan, Billy and Joey on their outstanding achievement, flying the flag not just for Scarborough but for the UK?".

In response, Alan Campbell, the Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, offered congratulations and pledged to raise the team's achievement with the relevant government department.

Mr Campbell stated:

"I thank Scarborough’s SBA Unity racing team for its fantastic success and send my congratulations to the whole team.

We know about the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, so I will ensure that the Secretary of State for Education learns about the team’s success and reemphasise why this is a fantastic opportunity for young people.".

Local Innovation to Global Success

The students' hard work, dedication, and talent were commended by Helen Dowds, Principal of Scarborough UTC. Ms Dowds previously expressed immense pride in the team's achievements, noting, "To be able to compete on the world stage like this is phenomenal, and their accolades are well deserved".

Ms Dowds also highlighted the wider significance of the victory, asserting that the team’s awards "really show the opportunities and skills a technical education can offer; local innovation really has led to global success!".

The competition required the team to present extensive work in project management, enterprise, engineering, and design through portfolios and a verbal presentation to judges, alongside the performance of their miniature racing car. The team gave a tour of their Pit Display on the STEM Racing World Finals TV channel.

Individual success was also achieved by team member Jack Metcalfe, who earned one of only ten places awarded to finalists at the Komatsu Williams Engineering Academy. Ms Dowds commented that this achievement "will enable him to continue his studies in engineering with access to amazing facilities and world class mentors".

The team received crucial support from various local entities, including Scarborough Business Ambassadors, staff, employers, and local businesses, to whom Ms Dowds extended her huge thanks.