Talented students design their ‘Trains of the Future’

An Awards ceremony held last month at Knorr-Bremse Rail UK headquarters in Melksham, recognised the outstanding talents of art students from years 7-10 studying at Melksham Oak School.

The students were finalists in an art competition, run by Knorr-Bremse, to design and draw their vision of the ‘Trains of the Future’. The competition prompted an imaginative and thought-provoking response from over 200 students at the school making judging extremely difficult.

Knorr-Bremse, a leading manufacturer of braking and on-board systems for rail and commercial road vehicles, employs over 400 people at their Melksham facility, and is committed to encouraging the next generation of engineers. The company works closely with local schools and universities to raise awareness of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and to showcase the benefits of a career in engineering to students. Earlier this year, the company attended the Wiltshire Festival of Engineering which is the brainchild of  MP Michelle Donelan.

Hanna Hammond, director of Human Resources at Knorr-Bremse said, “Activities like these are really important for companies like Knorr-Bremse. In order to future-proof our business we need to encourage a new generation of students to do STEM subjects to provide a strong continuous skill-set for the future. Congratulations to everyone who took part.”

Steve Clark, headteacher at Melksham Oak said, “We are delighted that Knorr-Bremse is supporting a school art competition. We believe that it is vital for local education and industry to have close links to demonstrate the opportunities available for young people in Melksham. This competition reflects the ongoing links between Melksham Oak and Knorr Bremse over many years. We hope to see these continue long into the future.”

Following the awards, Daniel Webber and Gill Inman from Knorr-Bremse presented Natasha Gregory, art teacher at Melksham Oak, with a cheque for £1,000 for her art department.