Woodfarm engineers take on the world

Team Docs — made up of five boys and one girl — took part in the inaugural Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge.

As reported in The Extra, the group made it all the way to the world final, with help from sponsors BWSR, a Glasgow recruitment company, and engineers Davie & McCulloch.

The Woodfarm recruits faced stiff competition from 13 other teams from 11 countries — and while they missed out on the world title to the English team, the Docs received a nod of approval from first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who tweeted about their success.

Team manager Shaun Gaffney commented: “It’s been quite a challenge preparing for the event. Taking part has already changed my life as I’m now looking at engineering as a career.”

Shan Saba, business development director at BWSR, added: “As part of our sponsorship, there are plans in place to offer pupils shadowing experiences with staff at BWSR and links to engineering companies that BWSR represent.”

The Docs have appointed a new team manager, Joy Merriweather, with sights set on the 2016 prize — follow their progress on Twitter @the_doc5.