THE young people of Derwentside have been challenged to come up with solutions to some of the most difficult engineering problems of our time.

More than 150 people turned up at Derwentside College for the launch of the Derwentside Engineering Forum Schools Engineering Challenge 2001.

Last year's event was hailed a success, and leading members of the forum said this year's challenge had been arranged by popular demand.

More than 90 students from Blackfyne, Greencroft, Tanfield, Moorside, St Bede's and Stanley secondary schools will take part.

This year's challenge is based on the theme of nuclear decommissioning and includes structures, transportation and storage problems.

The project involved the manufacture of a structural lifting device to remove a flask full of simulated waste from a nuclear plant.

Pupils will then be required to manufacture suitable transportation to transfer the waste over rough terrain without spillage to a safe place of storage.

The forum has devised the project based on real problems.

The Derwentside Engineering Forum, made up of a number of engineering companies in the district, aims to encourage youngsters to take up engineering as a career.