This holiday season, countless families will be unwrapping the magic of Minecraft; a sandbox game where players build and explore virtual worlds using blocks. The game offers an introduction to core engineering principles: structural integrity, resource management, and spatial reasoning and is the game of choice for many children of primary school age, but also attracts a loyal following of older gamers.

While it may seem like just another video game to keep kids entertained, Minecraft has quietly become a powerful tool for fostering creativity, problem-solving, and engineering skills in young minds. Children experiment with physics by designing bridges, creating redstone-powered circuits, and even automating systems with logic gates. These activities mimic real-world engineering challenges, all wrapped in an engaging, low-stakes environment.

Harnessing Minecraft’s engineering potential

Manufacturing skills charity, Enginuity saw the potential of Minecraft in educating children and has developed a virtual learning world for schools to use through its Skills Miner products. Leveraging Minecraft Education, students tackle real-world engineering challenges in familiar Minecraft environments, experiencing problem-solving within fields like aerospace, vertical farming, and home energy; helping children to shape the future of engineering.

The innovative Skills Miner’s platform was showcased at Pioneers of Tomorrow during Farnborough International Airshow 2024. Having partnered with Enginuity on a number of initiatives including a STEM returners programme and career resources, bringing the Skills Miner products to a wider audience such as at the airshow would enable us to explore how it helps to encourage young people to learn more about our sectors.

Paul Oxley, ADS External Affairs Director said:

Many members are facing challenges in attracting engineering talent. We are proud to support initiatives like Enginuity’s Skills Miner product, that engage young people through play, enhance their understanding of real-world STEM applications, and inspire them to pursue careers in our sectors.

Exploring aerospace careers through Minecraft – A case study

Pioneers of Tomorrow is a dedicated STEM-focused event designed to inspire and engage the next generation of aerospace leaders. It is held on the final day (Friday) of Farnborough International Airshow.

During Pioneers of Tomorrow in July 2024, over 300 children played the Skills Miner aerospace game.

As they proceeded through each game level, students explored core STEM principles and gained insight into engineering careers by experiencing the different roles from designers to coders and maintenance engineers to aerodynamicists and stress engineers.

The children’s perceptions were recorded via a survey. Analysis revealed that playing the game improved participants’ understanding of engineering concepts and left a lasting positive impression, encouraging many to consider a future career in the field:

  • 91% of participants reported gaining new insights into engineering
  • 87% expressed increased interest in pursuing a career in engineering.

This result is very encouraging as we actively seek to engage schools beyond our UKROC competition and help industry explore new pathways into engineering.

If Minecraft found its way under your tree this year, don’t underestimate its value. What starts as child’s play could help shape a future career and end as innovation in our sectors.