The University of Westminster has hosted the final of Netcompany’s Smart Cities Challenge, which saw Year 8 students from schools across London compete to create the best city of the future.
Netcompany is an IT service company that delivers business-critical strategic IT projects which accelerate customers’ digital transformation through digital platforms, core systems and infrastructure services. Their scholarship is awarded to one female scholar each year to support their work elevating women in software engineering.
In 2023, Netcompany established the Smart Cities Challenge with the Ahead Partnership, a social enterprise which tackles social disadvantage and connects young people to opportunity. The challenge aims to support schools with the highest number of students eligible for free school meals and the largest population of students who speak English as an additional language.
The nine-week programme gave students from across London the opportunity to explore how technology is used around the city and how smart technology such as AI can be used in the future. Using this knowledge, they were challenged to design their own smart city with the help of mentoring sessions with volunteers from Netcompany who helped the students with their projects throughout the process.
Each student presented their idea to a panel of judges and the winning team from each school was selected to compete in the grand final at the University of Westminster. The judges included employees from Netcompany as well as Netcompany scholar and Westminster Software Engineering (Conversion) MSc student Marta Unterschute.
About the challenge Marta Unterschute said: “I was honoured to be selected as a judge for the Smart Cities competition. The creativity and ingenuity demonstrated by the students was very impressive, making the judging process exceptionally challenging. The innovative ideas and insightful presentations gave me great confidence in the capabilities of the next generation."
Dimos Vardoulakis, a Computer Science and ICT teacher at Westminster Academy, said: "We were thrilled to be among the schools participating in the Netcompany’s Smart Cities Challenge. It was a great opportunity for our students to explore innovative solutions and I strongly believe that they came one step closer to shaping the future of urban living. Students were engaged with the brief and found the project fun and exciting. It provided a fantastic opportunity for students to develop essential skills such as presenting, teamwork, creativity, problem solving and confidence and empowered them to explore different careers in technology."
Kaushalya Jathunga is a Senior Consultant at Netcompany and volunteered as a mentor for Smart Cities. She supported the Westminster Academy team who won this year’s final. About the team she said: "Working with them was a refreshing experience and I was impressed by the creativity and ingenuity of their solutions. Compared to the tech industry, where the same team dynamics can become monotonous, their enthusiasm and out-of-the-box thinking were truly inspiring. They approached problem-solving without any constraints, which was incredibly motivating. Initially, their idea was just a sketch on paper, so I guided them towards creating a demo simulation.
"During our mentoring sessions, I helped them improve their presentation skills and guided them towards a cohesive final structure. I also focused on building team spirit, as many of the kids were not familiar with each other at the start. However, they handled most of the hard work, including the research and simulation, on their own. Mentoring is something I aspire to incorporate into my career progression. Gaining this experience with diverse age groups and backgrounds was invaluable for me."
Suzie Bell, Project Manager at Ahead Partnership, added: "We were delighted to partner with Netcompany to bring their Smart Cities Challenge to London after a successful initial programme launch in Leeds. With the support of volunteers, the students created incredibly imaginative and well-researched concepts for smart technology uses in future cities and developed essential skills such as creativity, problem solving, teamwork, presenting and confidence. We’re so grateful for the time and passion that the volunteers brought to the sessions which empowered students to explore the opportunities that smart technology will bring."
Jordan Scammell, Head of Development and Fundraising added: "What an inspiring event this was! We had the pleasure of hosting Netcompany’s Smart Cities competition, welcoming year 8 students from four local schools. Their confidence, presentation skills and passion were truly remarkable. These young minds showcased innovative tech solutions to address pressing sustainability challenges in urban environments. They are the changemakers of tomorrow! Thanks to Netcompany for the various programmes they generously support at our University!"
This initiative directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out how you or your organisation can support similar initiatives via the University of Westminster Development website or email the Development Team.
