A GROUP of aspiring engineers from Woodfield Middle School will pit their wits against fellow students in a project at Birmingham's International Convention Centre.

The youngsters from the Studley Road school will compete in the final school project run by N-geneering West Midlands.

The students will join fellow pupils aged 11-14 from across the West Midlands who are taking part in the final Think Engineering project, part of a day to promote engineering as a career and to introduce parents, children, teachers and employers to a new web-based system to help young people choose career opportunities.

EEF West Midlands director of education and training development Bill Nicholls said: "It is no secret we are facing a skills shortage in the engineering sector, particularly since the average age of an engineer in the West Midlands is now 47," he said.

"Our recent survey of school pupils in the region, about their perceptions of engineering, revealed they have very old fashioned views of the industry. Only by dispelling these myths can we seriously start to tackle the skills shortage and encourage young people into the sector."