Case Study: The Civil Aviation Authority’s tangible impact partnering with Primary Engineer
Introduction
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has partnered with Primary Engineer on our ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ competition for the past four years.
Building on this long-standing partnership, in the 2024-25 academic year, they expanded their involvement by becoming a Primary Engineer® ProtoTeam, taking a pupil’s engineering idea from paper to reality. They selected Burnley pupil, Anna’s design, ‘The Attaching Suitcase’ to develop into a working prototype, recognising its creativity and relevance to aviation.
This case study explores how CAA translate their commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers into a real, tangible impact by partnering with Primary Engineer, whether that’s through supporting students like Anna, reviewing innovative entries as part of the Primary Engineer Grading Days, or even bringing a prototype to life.
Why are they involved?
According to Brenda Jefcoate, STEM Lead at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the motivation is rooted in social value. Brenda explains,
We see immense social value in giving young people opportunities to explore STEM, develop creative solutions, and gain confidence in their ideas.”
She continues by noting the vital role the competition plays in this mission.
“By working with Primary Engineer on their competition, we witness the creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills of young people. Every year, the competition provides fresh, inspiring ideas that remind us why STEM matters and why nurturing curiosity from an early age is so important. Each year, we continue to be inspired, not only by the seamless coordination of the Primary Engineer team, but also by the creativity, vision, and ingenuity demonstrated by the students who take part.”
This long-standing involvement led to a desire for deeper impact. Brenda elaborates on the decision to evolve their partnership.
“Over time, we have seen firsthand the positive impact of our involvement and felt encouraged to deepen that contribution for the 2024/25 academic year. While reviewing and grading entries has always been a rewarding experience, we asked ourselves how we might further empower young aspiring engineers. The answer became clear: by bringing one of their ideas to life. Although the CAA is not a manufacturing organisation, we brought this challenge to the CAA STEM volunteer network to explore whether we had the capability and enthusiasm to make it happen. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and from that moment, the journey began.”
As Brenda explains, this collaboration also offers significant internal value to the organisation. “The partnership helps us by connecting the CAA STEM Programme with a community of passionate, curious students and educators. It provides a platform for our volunteers to share their expertise, mentor young talent, and see firsthand the difference that encouragement and guidance can make. Beyond that, it reinforces our own culture of innovation and collaboration, giving our colleagues a meaningful way to contribute to society while inspiring the engineers of tomorrow.”
What has the experience been like?
Prototyping: The Pupil-Engineer Relationship
The ProtoTeam experience is designed to showcase how engineering can turn innovative student ideas into reality. This involves working directly with the pupil as the ‘client’ to ensure the final prototype closely matches their original competition design
Brenda said “Working with Anna throughout the prototype development process was an absolute pleasure. From the very first conversation, it was clear that she had a strong vision for her idea and a genuine passion for solving real-world problems. Her confidence grew noticeably with each stage of the project, and she approached every discussion with curiosity, enthusiasm, and thoughtful insight. Our prototype team found the collaboration highly rewarding. Anna asked insightful questions, offered creative suggestions, and was fully engaged in decision-making, demonstrating a level of maturity and focus far beyond her years. The experience reminded us just how powerful early engagement in STEM can be. Anna not only inspired the team with her idea, but also with her mindset, open, inventive, and determined. It has been a privilege to help bring her vision to life, and we are excited to see where her engineering journey takes her next.
CAA ProtoTeam member insight: “Working with Anna has been great. It has helped so much that her teacher was available to support her through the project. The engagement was easy and enjoyable. Anna has been incredibly mature and interactive through the project which made everything run incredibly smoothly.”
The Unveiling & Impact
Over the course of several months, CAA transformed Anna’s idea, ‘The Attaching Suitcase’ and took it from paper to reality. The prototype allows multiple suitcases to magnetically connect and be pulled together with one hand. Her idea aimed to make travelling more manageable, especially for individuals navigating airports with multiple pieces of luggage. The finished prototype was unveiled at Primary Engineer regional Burnley award ceremony on 18th June 2025 and was a memorable moment for all involved.
“One highlight stood above the rest: seeing Anna’s reaction.” says Brenda “Watching her face light up as she realised that her idea, once just a drawing and a concept, had been transformed into a real, working prototype was incredibly rewarding. It captured exactly why initiatives like this matter. Another powerful moment was witnessing the pride shared by everyone involved: Anna, her family, her school, and our volunteer engineering team. The prototype was not only a celebration of engineering and innovation, but also of collaboration, creativity, and confidence. Knowing that this idea later went on to receive a Silver Award at the Primary Engineer MacRobert Awards made the moment even more special, it validated the hard work, passion, and belief that went into bringing her concept to life. The unveiling was a reminder that sometimes the spark of a simple idea, especially from a young person, can create something meaningful, something that inspires others and shows what is possible when imagination meets engineering.”
CAA ProtoTeam member insight: “The highlight for me was attending an event near Anna’s hometown where we got to demonstrate the prototype. It was incredibly rewarding to see the prototype being wheeled around the stage and seeing the joy on Anna’s face when she got to see them in action, and then have her photo taken with the working prototype.”
The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal
After the unveiling in the 2025 summer term, applications for the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal opened and the CAA ProtoTeam, including Anna and her school were thrilled to be shortlisted and invited to the prestigious Drapers’ Hall in London for the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal award ceremony in November 2025.
The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal acts as the forerunner to the illustrious MacRobert Award, the leading prize for engineering innovation in the UK. The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal is designed to celebrate the achievements of the school pupils, students and young engineers who have all worked together to create innovative and world-changing prototypes based on a school pupil’s engineering idea. The Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal Award Ceremony is a collaboration between Primary Engineer and The MacRobert Trust, with support from Weir and Christopher Ward.
Speaking about the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal, Brenda said “Attending the Primary Engineer MacRobert Medal event was an incredible experience and a proud moment for everyone involved. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, creativity, and a shared passion for engineering, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many young innovators and industry professionals who all believe in the power of imagination and problem-solving. Winning the Silver Medal for Anna’s “Attaching Suitcases” design was truly the highlight of the event. It was a wonderful validation, not only of the idea itself, but of Anna’s creativity, perseverance, and the collaborative effort that brought her vision to life. We are all incredibly proud of her. For the CAA team, it reinforced the value of our involvement in the programme and the impact STEM outreach can have. The award wasn’t just a success for Anna; it was a celebration of teamwork, collaboration, and the belief that ideas, no matter how small or early, can grow into something extraordinary.”
Reflecting on the CAA staff experience
When reflecting on the experience of the staff involved, Brenda said “Our experience has been incredibly rewarding. Each year, we are impressed and inspired by the creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving demonstrated by the young participants. Their ideas reflect not only technical potential, but also compassion, imagination, and a desire to improve the world, qualities at the heart of engineering. For the CAA colleagues involved, the experience has been both meaningful and energising. Reviewing entries, finding Anna’s amazing idea of the ‘Attaching Suitcases’, and helping bring this idea to life has offered a sense of purpose beyond day-to-day responsibilities. It has encouraged collaboration across departments, strengthened our STEM volunteer network, and offered us all the opportunity to challenge ourselves. Perhaps most importantly, the programme has reminded our colleagues why they became engineers in the first place: curiosity, innovation, and the belief that great ideas can shape the future.”
CAA ProtoTeam member insight: “Working on the prototype project has been incredibly enjoyable and rewarding. It has given me an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across our business that I would not normally get to work with. Working on something creative where we have had the opportunity to bring Anna’s idea to life has been incredible. There have been so many great moments through my involvement in this work. It is probably one of the most memorable projects I have worked on.”
Conclusion
Brenda rounded off to say “We value the collaborative nature of the partnership. Primary Engineer makes it easy for our STEM volunteers to get involved, share expertise, and mentor students in a meaningful way. Bringing Anna’s “Attaching Suitcases” idea to life was a perfect example of how rewarding this collaboration can be, seeing her excitement as her concept became a real prototype highlighted the impact this partnership has on both the students and our own team. Ultimately, working with Primary Engineer allows us to contribute to an initiative that genuinely inspires and empowers the next generation of engineers, which is both motivating and incredibly fulfilling.”
Get Involved
Follow the story: Read all of the updates about ‘The Attaching Suitcase’ prototype here.
Share your experience: Huge thank you to CAA for sharing these valuable insights. If you have worked with us and want to share your experiences, contact us on marketing@Primaryengineer.com
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