Andrew Castle, a design engineer based at Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (Blindcraft), has been awarded a prestigious Student Prize run by the Institution of Engineering Designers (iED) and the Engineering Council UK.

Andrew, a 23-year-old originally from Dunblane, won the prize for his product ‘Easykneel’, which is designed to assist elderly gardeners. The iED prize recognises a design that is both innovative and could also be manufactured in the marketplace at a realistic price.

The iED prize is open to all students across the country and each entrant is subject to a rigorous appraisal process. Each submission is evaluated across eight key areas including market need, concept design, testing of the final design, presentation and conclusions.

Andrew is a design engineer at Blindcraft but won the award whilst he was a student at Strathclyde University.

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Professor Jonathan Corney, Head of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) at Strathclyde University, said: “DMEM students don't just learn to create innovative ideas, they also have to understand the social, business and manufacturing challenges that all successful products have to address.

“So the award of the iED prize acknowledges that Andrew's design is not just useful, it is based on sound engineering and could be manufactured at a realistic price. DMEM is very proud of this award and looks forward to following the career of this talented young man.”

City Building managing director Willie Docherty said: “We are delighted that Andrew has won this award. It reflects the strong links that Blindcraft and City Building have with academia and showcases the employment opportunities for our graduates. This prize, combined with the training Andrew has received with us, is a real springboard for his career.”

Robert McFarlane, Regional Co-ordinator for the Institution of Engineering Designers (iED), said: “Each submission for the iED prize underwent a rigorous marking scheme and each project was measured twice and those with the highest marks were awarded a prize.

“Gaining a Student Prize from the iED is not easy to achieve, therefore, the winners should be proud that the quality of their project has been recognised by champions in the Engineering and Design field and we wish them every success for the future.”

(GK)