Over the last seven months, CIHT has supported Powering Futures to deliver their challenge programme across secondary schools in Scotland by providing volunteers and by co-sponsoring a transport-based challenge with AECOM. This year, approximately 1700 pupils were split onto 350 teams and given five challenges to choose from. 86 teams of young people tackled and completed the CIHT AECOM Powering Futures Transport challenge this year. Now the programme has finished for the year we wanted to share some feedback on the potential impact of the transport challenge.
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The Transport Challenge is based on a real-world transport challenge, centred around transforming travel habits for a sustainable future.
Students were asked to tackle the problem of why the public are not utilising public transport or active travel options in their local area, opting to use their cars instead. They worked in teams to develop innovative and practical solutions to encourage active travel and public transport while considering many factors in their local community, such as motivation, local need, accessibility and community engagement.
Powering Futures co-founder David Reid explains the solutions they came up with:
Generating thoughts from young adults around their perceptions of transport and the barriers to adoption is worthy of consideration. Bus transport was their biggest focal point, and the feedback was a desire for cleaner better rolling stock, Wi-Fi enabled and real time information available via apps.
An overwhelming suggestion was incentivisation to use public transport and change behaviours with rewards which are valuable to them – they have the answers.
CIHT Member and AECOM Regional Director Joanne Melarkey, who was involved in delivering the transport challenge said:
My involvement with the Powering Futures challenge programme on behalf of AECOM has been a very rewarding experience, especially seeing how enthusiastic the pupils are at tackling real world transport challenges. The transferable skills that this programme aims to develop are of huge value to employers in the workplace.
Several CIHT members, including members of the CIHT Scotland Regional Committee, volunteered to support the delivery of the transport challenge by embedding themselves in participating schools across Scotland. CIHTs volunteers offered real-world insights and highlighted the practical relevance of the students’ ideas and work, as they delivered the transport challenge.
Students progress was continually assessed through regular interactions with CIHTs volunteers, who also judged the students’ final presentations in March 2025 and provided feedback on the performance of the teams and their solutions. The pupils that successfully completed the course, including the final presentation, will receive an SCQF Level 6 qualification, which is the equivalent to a Higher grade in Scotland.
Ravi Grandhi, Vice Chair of CIHT Scotland and Active Travel Infrastructure Delivery Lead from Transport Scotland was one of the CIHT volunteer judges. Ravi said:
I was thrilled to have been a judge at the Powering Futures transport challenge final presentations at the Stirling Court Hotel on behalf of CIHT Scotland and Transport Scotland. Fantastic presentations from students, or should I say future leaders. It was incredible and truly inspiring to witness young innovators sharing their creative solutions, fresh perspectives and energy to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Malcolm Matheson, Chair of CIHT Scotland and volunteer supporter of Powering Futures, Malcolm said:
Big thanks to those in the CIHT Scotland Committee and to all the other brilliant STEM ambassadors who volunteered to support the Powering Futures transport challenge. It was extremely encouraging to see so many young people actively engaging in the programme and we were very impressed with the hard work and efforts by all the pupils and teachers who supported them with their projects.
The Powering Futures challenge programme is a ground-breaking, project-based interdisciplinary learning programme developed by Jennifer Tempany and David Reid who saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between education and industry. Designed for the Scottish curriculum, the Powering Futures’ challenge programme has been embedded in the 5th and 6th-year in over 100 across schools in Scotland.
The objective of the programme is to enhance vitally important meta skills, and at the same time encourage the pupils to develop innovative solutions to the challenges.
The Powering Futures team is currently summarising the outcomes from all the presentations and will create a booklet that will contain highlights of all five challenges, including the CIHT transport challenge. We hope to be able to share some of these on our website.
Partnering for Progress Businesses interested in getting involved can visit www.poweringfutures.com or email hello@poweringfutures.com.
If you would like further information on the benefits of being a STEM ambassador, including being able to support wonderful initiatives such as Powering Futures, please watch this insightful webinar on what being a STEM ambassador is all about. If you feel inspired and would like to become a STEM ambassador, please watch this 3 minute video on how to sign up, or contact CIHT at: professionaldevelopment@ciht.org.uk
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