VEX Robotics

With areas of severe deprivation, North-East England has some of the highest unemployment figures amongst young people in the country.

VEX Robotics has delivered – through Reece Foundation funding and support of other partners – one of the largest education outreach programmes in the region in recent years.

With 150+ schools involved, in classes from Y1 to Y13, it has had a profound effect on thousands of students, raised aspirations, changed career paths and is leaving a legacy that will continue to impact the region for years to come.

Working at primary level to integrate robotics into cross-curricular lessons, the impact in schools is not only with students, but also teachers with a programme of ongoing professional development.

From Y4 up to Y13, through extracurricular competitions, students are given engineering challenges and develop skills with industry value – critical thinking, problem-solving, project management – while attending regional events, the UK National Final and even the World Championships in Dallas! No other educational robotics platform has the breadth of impact through every school year, inside and outside the classroom.

To close the widening skills gap in engineering we need to highlight robotics and automation as a key aspect in multiple industries – that starts in schools!