GWENT's engineers of the future enjoyed a three-day workshop at the University of Wales College Newport (UWCN) recently.

They had the opportunity to tackle a range of projects including the creation of working prototypes for a security barrier system, new braking systems and flexible aircraft seating.

The AS-level students were taking part in the Engineering Education Scheme Wales (EESW) which provides talented youngsters with hands-on experience with a local company.

In theory, the experience enables the students to make a better-informed decision about a career in engineering or studying for a science degree at university.

Seventeen-year-old Krishan Kumar, of Rougemont Comprehensive, was part of a team designing a flexible aircraft seat mechanism for Britax. He said: "We've created the designs and are now doing stress tests on the prototype.

"I want to be a pilot so I had a special interest in this project. It has helped me learn a lot about metals and the construction of air transport."

Team-mate Rebecca Brown, 16, said: "Our aim was to make the ride smoother for passengers.

"I was quite interested in engineering before this but wanted to see what it was like. This workshop has given me good experience of working in groups and writing reports."

Sixteen-year-old Joanne Stacey, from St Julian's High School, is helping to determine the distance between brake and pad for a new brake adjuster system for Arvin Meritor.

"It's complicated," she said, "but we've come up with a few ideas to solve the problem."

Seventeen-year-old Matthew Weston, of Caerleon Comprehensive, is helping to design a cable tester for civil engineering company Fair-field Mabey.

He said: "The brief seemed straightforward but has become more complicated as more complex cables have been introduced.

"I'm enjoying the practical aspect of problem-solving and the freedom of working at the university, which is very unlike the workshops at school."

Dr David Harwood, from UWCN's school of computing and engineering, said: "The EESW workshops, which have been running for more than a decade, give the sixth-formers a snapshot of what engineering is all about.

"By creating design ideas from scratch, they can see how the development takes shape over a few days as well as learn some valuable team-building and communication skills."

Les Wheeler, of EESW, added: "All the students are developing projects of value to the companies involved, and the sixth formers are able to put their designs and prototypes to the test using facilities at UWCN."

Students' designs have often been taken up by the companies they have been teamed with.

Mr Wheeler claimed that the Millennium Stadium had incorporated a student system for opening and closing the roof, while Ford at Bridgend saved itself £10,000 per year on tooling costs by incorporating another student idea.