The Warman - looking beyond 30 years

Context: Our collective experience over 30 years of organising, fine-tuning, creating unique projects and running what has become known as the Warman Design and Build Competition (WD&B) is presented. The competition is for students in the second year of undergraduate courses in mechanical engineering, broadly defined, in Australian and New Zealand universities. The idea of running a variant of the WD&B as a high school STEM project is being considered. Purpose: We wished to establish firm data supporting the efficacy of the WD and B and indicate ways in which the current project and competition might be promoted and extended in its reach. Approach: Ongoing assessment of student response to the competition since its inception, and the scope of experience students gained has been conducted, over what has been a period of rapid industry transition, and links between the WD and B and the development of Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competencies are shown. In 2017, more extensive surveys than in the past were conducted seeking the opinions of: Students competing at Campus level. ; Students competing at the National Final. ; Campus Organisers. ; Members of the Mechanical College, EA (part of a broader survey of design practice). Results: The conclusions drawn from all surveys are highlighted with strong support and evidence for positive learning arising from the WD and B. The adoption of the WD and B at the University of Melbourne in 2010 and reflections on their experience provide an exemplar for the continued expansion of the WD and B. It is clear the project is successful in: integrating practical engineering with coursework. ; developing 'work readiness'. ; providing a 'coat-hanger' to support the engineering sciences. Conclusions: The WD and B has been an outstanding success over its 30-year life. In the changing educational world, the plan is to ensure that it continues to meet educational needs and course structures and, if necessary or desirable, make appropriate changes. The question of entering the STEM array by creating a modified 'Warman in Schools' is currently unresolved.