Bradford is proving that it has no dearth of engineering talent in its schools - but girls are once again leading the way and breaking through into the male domain of mechanics and manufacturing, as Education Reporter CHRIS HEWITT found out

Fifteen-year-old Sally Twisleton glowered with confidence as the judges inspected the unique off-the-road trike.

She lifted away the fibreglass housing to reveal the intricate gearings and engine specifications of the motorised three-wheeler.

Amid the simple steel framework there was a new feature, unlike any that have been seen before it - and Sally had designed it in the technology workshops of Bradford Girls' Grammar School.

This was the "Skidbusta", a differential that fits onto the split back axle of the trike and allows it to corner without skidding.

The school has already filed to put a patent on it and a marketing team, consisting of fellow students Juliana Bolton, Nina Chima, Becci Davies and Alex Watson, was set up to research its selling potential, calling up go-kart firms to gauge their interest.

The final members of the team, Vanessa Heaton and Caroline Sherrard, created the graphics to illustrate the design and local manufacturers Switchgear and Instrumentation lent a hand to make plates for the differential, using lasers.

The judges were clearly impressed as they handed the title of Bradford's Young Engineers to the school, beating off tough competition from five other schools in the manufacturing challenge.

Modest Sally, who plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, was not quite ready to declare female supremacy over her male rivals. But it was interesting to note that she was one of only two students among the six engineering teams, the other being Jenny Dodwell, 16, from Queensbury School.

"I think men and women will take an equal role in engineering in the end," said Sally. "Men and women have equal skills and I feel really proud when I can make something that can be of real use to somebody."

David Wadsworth, the head of Technology at Queensbury, said engineering was no longer a men-only club. He added: "The previous problem was that machines were made that had to be manually operated but the world of design and manufacturing has now completely changed because of computer technology."

Access to engineering courses and the Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths Network (SETPOINT) has now been established in Bradford to encourage pupils to take up these courses in schools, with opportunities to working in partnership with local manufacturing firms.

Rob Fleming, the operations director at Pace Microtechnology, said: "Teachers can shape the engineering future of this country. The lack of skilled engineers of all types is choking the development of our manufacturing companies."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.