The College, recently rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, triumphed in a highly competitive category sponsored by Morgan Sindall Construction, ahead of fellow finalists Baysgarth School and Haberdasher’s Boys’ School to the top spot.

The BRILLIANT Awards celebrate excellence in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education and industry engagement, recognising schools, colleges and universities that are equipping young people with future-ready skills.

Hugh Baird College secured the Engineering Changemakers title for its pioneering sustainable maritime engineering project, which brought together students, staff and industry partners to reimagine the future of low-carbon shipping.

Initiated as part of the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society’s “Maritime Heritage, Maritime Futures” programme and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project challenged students to design and build a model vessel that could:

• Maximise cargo capacity
• Minimise build and operating costs
• Champion low-carbon innovation

The result was the “Ply-Jute Voyager”, a vessel that had already won a Sustainability Award for setting new standards in sustainable maritime design. Students developed an innovative lightweight composite material using low-carbon sources, directly contributing ideas that support the maritime sector’s decarbonisation efforts.

More than 85 students from Degree, BTEC and T Level programmes took part, representing disciplines including construction, carpentry, engineering, painting and manufacturing. Working alongside industry mentors, they gained hands-on experience in design, stability analysis, propulsion systems and prototype testing, mirroring the kind of collaborative, real-world problem solving expected in modern engineering careers.

The project reflects a close partnership between education and industry.

Speaking after the win, Dr Charuni Dissanayaka, STEM Technical Lead at Hugh Baird College, said:

“This award is an incredible recognition of our students’ talent and resilience. They have tackled a real engineering challenge and shown that further education students can lead the way in sustainable innovation. We’re grateful to our industry partners, whose insight and support helped turn an idea into an award-winning project.”

The BRILLIANT Awards ceremony took place at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool as part of the wider BRILLIANT Festival, which brings together educators, employers and innovators from across the UK to share best practice in STEAM education and industry engagement.

Interested in learning more about the Engineering courses at Hugh Baird College? Simply follow the link: https://www.hughbaird.ac.uk/subject-area/engineering-energy-advanced-manufacturing.