BIRKENHEAD Sixth Form College 'Young Engineers Club' has been named as one of the top three in the country by the Engineering Council for the third successive year. They gave a professional presentation of a design for a new front bumper for the Ford Escort to experts from industry and commerce at the London final of the Young Engineers for Britain competition this month.

Stuart Hatton from Greasby, Mark Joynson who lives in Heswall and Emma Robinson from Claughton have won for the college a Pentium PC, software and a colour printer valued at over £2,500. They've also got a unique opportunity for a sneak preview of some of the most innovative engineering work being done in the UK. BT have invited them to stay at a four star country club and visit their national laboratories. They'll see pioneering designs including Virtual Reality communications systems which won't be available on the high street for at least five years.

The idea for the winning project was set by Ford. The students had the task of designing a front bumper for the next Millennium, taking into account ergonomics, availability of new materials and potential for recycling.

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