8 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS June 2024 www.hpmag.co.uk NEWS Apprentices at leading engineering training centre Oxfordshire Advanced Skills, based at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus, have come up with innovative design concepts to help people with disabilities in the final of the Emma Wiggs Challenge 2024. Double paralympic champion Emma Wiggs MBE, who launched the competition for a second time following the success of last year’s event, was one of the judges assessing the entries which showcased how design engineering can be used to improve life for people with disabilities. Since her mobility was impaired overnight by a virus at the age of 18, Emma has dedicated herself to paralympic sport, inspiring others with her determination and positive mindset. Currently in training for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, she has become a trailblazer for paracanoeing in the UK. Her impressive track record includes gold medals at both the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics. Emma had previously tasked the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), which provides training for the Oxfordshire site, to design a bespoke canoe paddle with which she achieved gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Through the Emma Wiggs Challenge, a competition designed in partnership with MTC Training and OAS, learners have been creating design solutions around everyday tasks which someone with a disability might find challenging. The apprentices worked on their design concepts individually or in small teams, supported by virtual workshops with Emma who was on hand to answer questions, allowing them to refine their designs. The winning entry was Sense-Aid designed by Sophie Walters. Inspired by her own personal experience with autism, and others in the autistic community, the new product aims to help autistic adults find comfort and grounding in times of stress. The wrist band, which is produced from different fabrics, and refined using research, community surveys, and CAD, is designed to support and empower autistic adults with a practical, portable product in a market which offers through the AEMT’s website, and in addition to four mental health awareness courses open to members, are a downloadable stress toolkit designed to help employers manage and reduce stress in their workplace and a guide to recognising the strengths of neurodivergent colleagues. Employers looking to support staff with their mental health can access a guide to mental health at work from the Federation of Small Businesses and the charity Mind, as well as a guide to supporting staff who are experiencing a mental health issue, also from Mind. A poster encouraging staff to ask for help if they are struggling and links to mental health and wellbeing trainers are also available. Plus, visitors can download an example equality and diversity policy and a guide to using inclusive language. Commenting on the new resource toolkit, Thomas Marks, General Manager and Secretary of the AEMT, said: “This collection of resources, which is available to both members and nonmembers and will be added to over time, underscores the AEMT’s commitment to supporting its membership and driving best practice across the wider electromechanical engineering sector.” Paralympian Emma Wiggs inspires apprentices in design challenge Pictured: (From left to right) Finalists in the Emma Wiggs Challenge: Owen Green, Marian Bumbar, Thomas Potts, Sophie Walters, Luke Scofield and Maïann Seymour with Paralympic Champion, Emma Wiggs MBE.
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