PA Consulting challenges schools to find Raspberry Pi transport solutions
PA Consulting Group is preparing to host its annual Raspberry Pi Awards Day, having announced the criteria for its 2019 Raspberry Pi contest. The yearly competition sees schools from across the UK send teams of children to design innovative solutions for the modern world, and compete for one of three £1,000 prizes.
Now in its seventh year, the Raspberry Pi competition has once again commenced plans to see over 100 schools showcase their creativity and fostering their skills in computer coding. The 2018 edition saw the contest’s strongest ever turnout, addressing a theme of sustainability. The children were challenged to utilise the Raspberry Pi – a cheap, low-spec computer the size of credit-card – to invent something that will help “save the planet.”
Now, as organiser PA Consulting Group looks to kick on from this success for the 2019 incarnation of the event, it has announced that the next event will see British schools and colleges challenged to find ways of using a Raspberry Pi computer to transform travel and transport. The theme of travel and transport opens the door to entries that address anything from security issues to improving accessibility for people with physical mobility challenges, or minimising the environmental impact of journeys.
PA Consulting launched the competition in 2012 to help tackle the growing talent gap in programming and coding. According to PA’s Global Innovation Services Leader, Anita Chandraker, the company has always been astounded not only by entrants’ inventions, but also by their sheer commitment and enthusiasm.
She added, “Schools all over the UK have been taking a significant interest in coding following its introduction on the school curriculum. More than ever, it is important for young people to understand the basics of programming and the power technology can have in transforming the world.”
The winning team in each of three categories will receive £1,000 in prize money, with the added incentive that the first 100 teams to enter will receive a free Pi 3 starter kit. Categories are for primary school (Years 4-6), secondary schools (Years 7-11) and sixth forms/colleges (Years 12-13). A panel of experts from PA will choose three finalists from each category, inviting nine teams to show off their inventions at an exclusive event attended by some of the UK’s most inventive leaders from the public and private sectors.
