Enginuity
Discovering next-generation engineers by levelling up recruitment
Is there enough talent and diversity in your industry? In the engineering and manufacturing sector, 60% of employers say that recruitment is currently the biggest threat to their business (IET 2019).
This problem is being addressed in ingenious ways by Enginuity. The not-for-profit organisation, formerly known as SEMTA, exists to champion the vocational progression of individuals towards successful careers in science, engineering and manufacturing technologies. In collaboration with leading firms, they have developed new apprenticeship programmes for young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. By connecting talent with opportunity, Enginuity are preparing us for tomorrow’s data-led, carbon zero economy.
But finding the next generation of engineers is no straightforward mission.
Traditional educational pathways are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demand for practical expertise. So Enginuity are levelling up recruitment. Literally. They are harnessing the mass appeal and simulation capabilities of video games to develop empirical methods for assessing the problem-solving aptitudes of young people, especially those who have never considered engineering or manufacturing as career options.
BlockBuilders collaborated with the Innovation Lab at Enginuity and youth programme, The Prince’s Trust, to design, implement and maintain a scalable and intuitive platform for detecting natural talent. It’s called ‘Skills Miner’.
We developed Skills Miner as a way to explore students’ engineering skills in an alternative, innovative way, from home energy to aerospace. For example, students are able to design, build and fuel a digital aeroplane, introducing a range of inspirational career opportunities. Alternatively they can improve a house to increase its sustainability rating, encouraging a conscientious attitude towards climate change.
Skills Miner comprises a multilevel ‘world’ in Minecraft™ with a chain of challenges that the player must solve in order to progress.
These challenges are found through Enginuity’s innovation lab and are then used in the classroom to provide interactive insight into working as an engineer. Therefore, they were developed in-line with the English curriculum and Gatsby benchmarks, including educational resources for teachers to input.
The game design emulates an electric car factory where victory is achieved through successful completion of the production assembly. Thus, players must think on their virtual feet to perform tasks such as bridging gaps, locating hidden schematics and aligning conveyor belts under timed conditions.
Players that achieve certain goals receive badges to boost confidence and encourage progression. Behind the scenes, completion times and other relevant data are securely logged in a central database.
It was necessary to set up multiple servers that could support the three versions of Minecraft™: Java, Education Edition and Bedrock. The multi-server ecosystem meant that Skills Miner could be accessed from a phone, tablet or console. There was also a simplified version available for users under 16.
Skills Miner became an accessible, fun and popular interface with over 2,000 young people tackling its challenges in the first iteration.
Through Skills Miner students are able to realise engaging engineering experience that may not be accessible outside of Minecraft, exploring careers from aerospace technician to domestic energy assessor.