Roq, a quality engineering consultancy, aims to inspire and empower young minds to pursue technology careers. They have launched the Defectives Secondary School Competition as a means to achieve this goal.
This year, Roq hosted the competition in seven local secondary schools, including Penwortham Girls High School, Parklands High School, Preston Muslim Girls High School, Wellfield Academy, All Hallows Catholic High School, Lostock Hall Academy and Balshaw’s Catholic High School. The competition aimed to inspire students and encourage them to consider pursuing a career in technology. During the months of June and July, more than 130 pupils participated in the challenge. Their task was to identify defects, such as bugs or glitches, on actual live websites.
During the challenge, students pointed out various defects, such as website inaccessibility, broken links, grammatical errors, and missing information. Three points were awarded for each defect identified, with students receiving extra points for their comprehension of Roq in a brief quiz. The winning school, Balshaw’s Catholic High School, found over 190 defects, earning them an impressive 576 points. All Hallows came in second with 564 points, followed by Lostock Hall with 543 points.
Shaheen Gul, Roq’s Academy Recruitment Specialist, expressed Roq’s passion for improving the lives of young people and providing them with opportunities to pursue a future career in technology. She said, “Our Defectives Secondary School Competitions are just one of the many initiatives we take to support students who want to get into the world of technology. We also host mock interviews, arrange school visits to our offices, attend careers fairs and guest lectures around the UK, and actively promote careers in Quality Engineering.”
The competition received positive feedback from the schools, who were impressed with it. The students were surprised to discover that a career in tech was an option for them and appreciated the practical experience they gained. One student even said, “It was a fun and educational time, which also educated me on a possible career path,” and another commented that “It allowed me to see more into the role of the company and made different pathways clearer.”
As a team of dedicated professionals that is passionate about assisting young people in discovering their potential and turning their dreams into reality, Roq enjoys running this challenge and is committed to making a positive impact on education and innovation.
