STUDENTS from a Bromsgrove school won an exciting opportunity to visit the construction site of the new Worcestershire Parkway train station.

The winning students from Parkside Middle School, Bromsgrove, beat 37 other schools from the county in the Primary STEM Challenge competition.

As part of their prize, the budding engineers of the future visited the construction site of the new station recently.

The students learned about what happens during the planning and construction phases of the major project, which is one of Worcestershire’s biggest infrastructure schemes to date.

At the Primary STEM Challenge final in March, the teams were challenged to build a model of a train station out of the well-known K’Nex toy construction kits.

The theme was specifically chosen to celebrate the construction of the Worcestershire Parkway train station which is due to open to the public later this year.

The Primary STEM Challenge provides workshops for participating primary and middle schools across Worcestershire to improve their STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) engagement.

The programme is delivered by STEMworks, a not-for-profit company run in partnership with Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and district councils across the county.

Schools can register to take part in the Primary STEM challenge - email admin@stemworks.co.uk to obtain a registration form.

“This was a great opportunity to see construction in action for these potential engineers of the future," said Councillor Ken Pollock, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for economy and infrastructure.

"I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make this visit happen. Careers in STEM are hugely important to the county and its economy.

"In this region that prides itself on the tech sector, I’m hoping that these students will continue their passion and turn it into a career, right here in Worcestershire.”