European CNC Network – Train for Europe wins Charlemagne Youth Prize 2010
16-Jun-2010

European CNC Network – Train for Europe, a Comenius project in which MCAST worked closely with twenty four vocational colleges, won first prize at the Charlemagne Youth Prize 2010 Award event on 11 May 2010 in Aachen, Germany. The European Charlemagne Youth Prize aims to encourage the development of European consciousness among young people, as well as participation in European integration projects. The Prize is awarded to projects that foster an understanding, promotion and development of a shared sense of European identity. The European CNC Network – Train for Europe won first prize as it is an excellent example of the promotion and implementation of the European idea – that of acting together, overcoming the limits of boundaries and discovering diversity and its potential.

The Train for Europe was created in November 2006 and was co-ordinated by the Bad Kreuznach Vocational School. It brought together over 1,500 trainees to build a small-gauge locomotive and wagons on the Airbus principle with the use of CNC machines. The project was extensive and ranged from the design and development to the manufacture of the model train locomotives and wagons. The project also included the exchange and development of teaching and training methods.

MCAST’s main role was to design the locomotive and to co-ordinate the manufacturing of the individual parts for the locomotive by the 10 colleges in the sub-group (Picture 1). MCAST also designed and manufactured its own wagon representing Malta (Picture 2). Fourteen lecturers and nine students, from among the thirty four MCAST contributors to the project, benefited from mobilities. This was possible due to the EU grant of 18,000 Euros for a minimum of twelve mobilities under the Comenius School Partnership Sectoral Programme.

The ceremony was hosted by RWTH Aachen University. The first prize was presented by Mr Jerzy Buzek, EP President and Mr Michael Jansen, Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation.

The Train for Europe project was coordinated by the MCAST Institute of Mechanical Engineering and the MCAST International Programmes Office. Mr Pierre Vella, lecturer at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, was Project.coordinator.

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