Winning Team

Inspiring the Next Generation of IT Specialists

Prolinx is delighted to have helped young people be inspired by IT by partnering with a local charity and sponsoring the Inspire Young People’s App Challenge. The challenge gave students at City of Bristol College the opportunity to design and then pitch concept ideas for a new ‘app’ to a judging panel that consisted of senior members of the Prolinx team, along with Sarah Schofield from Inspire Young People.

Each team had 10 minutes to pitch their app idea to the panel, including main design features, visuals, security considerations and projected revenue. The panel then had the opportunity to ask questions. The winning entry was an innovative idea that was led by a deaf student and two foreign students who presented an app which would enable signers to communicate through its ability to translate sign-language into spoken or written words, and spoken words to text or sign-language.  For non-English speakers, the app would translate spoken words into English and back again. The winners received an iPad and a trophy, provided by Prolinx. A spokesperson from City of Bristol College said: “The Inspire IT Challenge was a very worthwhile activity that brought many students out of their shells and into real world activities.”

Prolinx Managing Director Andy Weller said; “We are dedicated to apprenticeships and investing in the younger generation, so it seemed a natural alignment to support such a worthwhile challenge.  Hopefully it has given students not only the opportunity to be creative and inspired by IT, but also a valuable opportunity to grow in confidence and learn presenting skills that will help them in the future.”

This was a pilot challenge for Inspire Young People who already run similar challenges in Hairdressing, Hospitality and Fitness. The Thames Valley based charity designs events and competitions to challenge students in a way that is fun, but also relevant to the skills that are needed in the workplace. Inspire Young People’s Programme Co-ordinator Sarah Schofield said: “This was a really exciting challenge and we were so impressed with the ideas and amount of thought and effort that went into the apps. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Prolinx and build on this year’s pilot event to open it up to other colleges.”