The future is safe in their hands: Winning IoT products announced as Scotland’s young entrepreneurs showcase their tech innovations

Scotland’s next generation of tech entrepreneurs are already ahead of the game with their innovative IoT and app designs.

Students from across Scotland (as far north as Wick) gathered in Edinburgh to pitch their tech for good products to industry professionals to ask for feedback and expert advice on how to take their projects to the next level. They were also competing for votes for the prestigious ‘People’s Choice’ prize.

As part of the Apps for Good course taught in schools, teams of young people have been working together to create apps and other tech products to tackle the problems and issues that matter most to them. Problems the students tackled with the designs they showcased in Edinburgh included global hunger, cycling safety, recycling and electrical safety.

Students will now have the opportunity to enter their digital products into the Apps for Good national competition where they will have the unique chance to visit London based tech companies and pitch to panels of industry professionals.

The Edinburgh event was an exciting celebration of the Apps for Good project which aims to close the national digital skills gap and prepare young people for the future of work. Through the course students learn coding, entrepreneurial and soft skills which are crucial for the next generation to thrive in the workplace.

Apps for Good UK Managing Director Heather Picov said “the innovative ideas the students showcased were inspirational and made me realise the future is very safe in the hands of these young people. It was great to see so many students from across Scotland excited about the potential technology has to make a positive impact on society.”

One of the event attendees Cat Ainsworth of the Dot Project said “I was totally blown away by the ideas, inspiration and thoughtfulness of the students I met on Friday - it was a fantastic insight.”

Attendees had the opportunity to vote for their favourite idea in the People’s Choice Award and many found it tough to pick just one project to vote for. The winning team were ‘Med Note’ from Dunoon Grammar School who’s IoT pill box sends push notifications to your phone to remind you to take your medication. Second prize was given to students from the ‘Step Off’ team; their product alerts you if you’ve left any electricals switched on when you leave the house. Third prize was for the impressive ‘Light Bike’ which ensures safety for cyclists.

We’d like to thank our supporters in Scotland; including BNY Mellon, Digital Xtra Fund, Skyscanner and Social Investment Scotland for their involvement in making the day such a success. The celebration also coincided with Scotland’s year of the Young People which is a global first; celebrating the very best of Scotland and its young people. The year aims to inspire Scotland through its young people, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contribution to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally.

The next generation of entrepreneurs were an inspiration to everyone in attendance at the event as the quality of the work from these young teenagers was exceptional. Watch this space!

About Apps for Good

Apps for Good is an education technology charity, with a mission to unlock the confidence and talent of young people to help them thrive in a tech-driven future.

They provide free online CPD to upskill computing teachers to ensure they feel confident delivering their programmes (App Development or Internet of Things course) to their students. Students are then challenged to come up with any problem or issue they are passionate about within their communities and learn how to solve it by building a digital product.

Through the Apps for Good programme students learn not just vital technical skill but also the enterprise and employability skills to design, market, launch and pitch their products solving real-world problems.

Full access to the Apps for Good Press Kit here

For further information please contact:

Natalie Moore: natalie.moore@appsforgood.org

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8150 6908

Website: www.appsforgood.org


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About Apps for Good

Apps for Good is an education technology charity, with a mission to unlock the confidence and talent of young people to help them thrive in a tech-driven future. They provide free online CPD to upskill computing teachers to ensure they feel confident delivering their programmes (App Development or Internet of Things course) to their students. Students are then challenged to come up with any problem or issue they are passionate about within their communities and learn how to solve it by building a digital product. Through the Apps for Good programme students learn not just vital technical skill but also the enterprise and employability skills to design, market, launch and pitch their products solving real-world problems.