Jersey pupils expand STEM go-kart program to special needs school, Guernsey

A project designed to foster interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among students will expand to a Jersey school for children with special educational needs and may also become available in Guernsey.

Through the STEM on Track program, participants learn to design, build and market their own go-karts, culminating in a race at a Formula One track.

Staff at Hautlieu College introduced the course to the island and have watched its popularity increase.

The college collaborated with sponsor PwC to extend the program to Mont à L’Abbé School next year and is in discussions with schools in Guernsey about implementing the course there.

Ronaldo, 18, and Zach, 17, both students at Mont à L’Abbé School, will participate in STEM on Track activities.

Ronaldo said: “It’s all about having fun because everyone absolutely adores it”.

He added: “I got to get into one of the go-karts and the seat was a bit tight but I managed to get there in the end and it was still very amazing.”

Zach said: “I want to do electronic engineering. I would actually kind of want to design and build our go-kart.”

Maja, 17, is among the Hautlieu students who have worked on STEM on Track this year.

She said: “I love designing and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have something extra to put on my CV.

“Jersey’s really small and you don’t get much opportunity to get out so having something like this is really good.”

She expressed satisfaction that Mont à L’Abbé School students will have access to the course in the next academic year.

“Something like this may seem like only people from public schools that could do, but everyone should get an opportunity at something like this,” she said.

Carl Bowen-Price from Hautlieu College helped bring STEM on Track to Jersey and said he was pleased to see interest in the course grow.

He said: “This is giving them first class opportunities with leading professionals in the industry as well as getting them to showcase what they can do without any pressure of an exam.”

Bowen-Price added: “The whole premise of the thing is inclusion and it’s Mont à L’Abbé School’s first time they’ve been involved in a mainstream project so that is just unbelievable.

“We’re really pushing to expand it to everyone on the island and the vision is that we keep pushing it further and go to Guernsey as well.

“Eventually we want inter-island racing which will be the big push for the next two years.”

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