Offaly schools take part in STEM Primary Schools Robotics Championship

Offaly County Council held the VEX IQ Regional Competition in theSacred Heart School Tullamore on Wednesday last. A total of 27 teams from 24 primary schools competed in the competition where the young people in Offaly united in person to celebrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) excellence and compete in exciting competition matches.

Students had been designing, building, and coding their robots since the start of the school year and the competition in the Sacred Heart School was the culmination of their hard work where the schools competed against each other to become the Offaly regional champions for 2023.

This is the 4th year for the competition to be held in Offaly and the number of primary schools taking part has increased every year with over 60 primary schools taking part this year. This STEM programme is delivered in partnership with primary and post-primary schools, Offaly County Council, Munster Technological University, Offaly Local Development Company, Offaly Local Enterprise Office, and the Government of Ireland.

Jobs and employment opportunities are changing, and primary school students are at the perfect age to begin their STEM education. Offaly County Council believes that STEM is key to unlocking a better, smarter future for Offaly. This is a unique school programme and it gives children as young as 5 years of age their first opportunity to learn about engineering, coding, and robotics. It is also an inclusive competition, with most teams comprised of full primary classes with boys and girls equally represented.

Ray Bell, Broadband / Digital, Offaly County Council said, “We are delighted to be working with primary schools in Offaly and it really demonstrates the interest amongst young people to engage with STEM at the earliest opportunity. The competition really highlighted their creativity and innovation and credit has to go to the students and their teachers. The innovation, imagination, and creativity on display proves that the students in Offaly have the skills for an exciting future.”

STEM education puts an emphasis on preparing future generations to be successful in their careers. The skills gained from STEM education extend beyond those needed to be successful in STEM fields, preparing children with varied interests who move into any industry to have valuable skill sets that allow them to be successful. This programme helps to drive Offaly’s economic ambitions, support innovation, and provide the foundations for future prosperity in the county.

Speaking about the event, Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council, Cllr Frank Moran said, “We were delighted to host the second of three primary school events in Sacred Heart School in Tullamore. This initiative connects students and companies who use robotics in their business and it builds on Offaly’s strong heritage in science and engineering and it gives students the skills for an exciting future”.

Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, Anna Marie Delaney, said “VEX Robotics is just one of a number of exciting initiatives Offaly County Council is supporting to drive STEM education, research, and jobs. This programme really demonstrated the interest amongst our young people in Offaly to engage with STEM with over 2000 students involved this year. Students develop teamwork, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills required to prepare them to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. “

The winners on the day included St Colman's National School Cappagh who won the overall Excellence Award and the Robot Skills Champion Award. Scoil Eoin Phoil from Tullamore and High Street National School won the Teamwork Challenge Award and these 3 schools will represent Offaly in the All-Ireland Robotics Championship in Munster Technological University (MTU) in Cork later this month. Other winners included Durrow National School who won the Design Award and Scoil Bhríde Girls National School from Clara won the Judges Award.

David Hodge, Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering and Science, MTU and VEX Robotics Manager for Ireland said there is a role for every child in the competition and we are delighted to partner with Offaly County Council on this programme. “The competition targets every aspect of STEM and the students involved take the initiative because they are given ownership. While VEX focuses on hard science skills, participants also develop soft skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork. They are an integral part of this programme but also an integral part of surviving in the workplace,” Mr. Hodge said.