Young engineers from HM Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth helped inspire children to create their own mini vehicles to encourage them to study science, technology and maths towards possible engineering careers.

The Ministry of Defence engineering apprentices organised a six-week programme at Saltash.net community school school as part of the national push to address the current and predicted future shortage of young UK scientists and engineers.

This initiative, called STEM is supported by the MOD and industrial partner Babcock at Devonport who rely on a steady supply of new engineers to sustain the high-tech engineering on-site.

Twenty pupils were mentored by the apprentices into planning, designing, costing, developing and trialling a working model vehicle to transport pretend waste material.