Class Of Your Own (COYO), the social enterprise responsible for the award-winning Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) learning programme welcomed students from the Uptown International School Dubai to present their competition winning entry to an audience of industry peers.

The event was hosted by engineering software company Bentley Systems at their Bishopsgate offices in London on Wednesday 6 November.

The COYO Challenge 2024 to ‘Design a Rail Station Hub and Route’ was launched in January this year, required competing international schools to design a net-zero rail station hub and route to connect a local community-where people live, work,
rest and play, with a main station in a nearby city or town.

Designs had to reflect the values of inclusivity, accessibility, biodiversity and community spirit, while using the latest in sustainable technology.

In August 2024, a panel of industry professionals selected the entry from Uptown International School in Dubai as the worthy winner, with the judges stating that their entry ‘felt like a professional standard, comprehensive Stage 2 report.’

St. Joseph’s Primary School in Australia received a ‘Highly Commended for Endeavour’ award and Liberton High School from Scotland received a ‘Highly Commended for Communication’ award.

Inspiring the next generation

In celebration of the winning entry, six students from Uptown International School were given the opportunity to develop their ideas with industry support from Bentley, Mott MacDonald, Grimshaw, Sterling DCS, Turner & Townsend and Cadventure.

This process culminated in the special celebration event at the Bentley Systems office, where the outstanding work of the students was showcased in an immersive demonstration area to an audience of educators and industry peers.

COYO also announced the roll-out of a new dedicated rail programme for children and
young people, based on the challenge, to be made free to all schools around the world.

This programme has been developed with the support of Cadventure and leading Sheffield DEC centre, King Ecgbert School.

Alison Watson MBE, founder and CEO at Class Of Your Own (and current CICES president), said:

‘The support from our friends has been extraordinary this year and I’m grateful to everyone involved for joining us to shine a light on the rail industry. The standard of entries was very high, and judges had a challenge of their own, picking a winner from so much talent!

‘The UIS team did a brilliant job and these young role models are a credit to their school. I hope the release of this programme will inspire other educational establishments to follow their lead and explore this critical sector.’

Chris Bradshaw, chief sustainability officer at Bentley added:

‘We are thrilled to support and celebrate the achievements of these talented young minds. Their vision and creativity in designing a net-zero rail station hub embody the principles that are essential to the future of sustainable infrastructure.

‘Through partnerships like this with Class Of Your Own, we aim to inspire and equip the next generation of infrastructure designers and engineers to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. It’s inspiring to see such innovation and dedication from students who are just beginning their journey.’