Newcastle graduate’s hand in million pound Middle East games contract

A Newcastle University graduate has helped a North East firm create one of seveal internative game exhibits for a multi-million pound shopping development in Abu Dhabi.

24 year-old Kevin Vayro graduated from Newcastle University this summer with a mechanical engineering degree, and started working for Newcastle-based Engineering Creatives.

The firm is working on a series of 17 exhibits for the “My Works” shopping mall and interactive play area in Abu Dhabi, near to the Yas Grand Prix circuit.

Kevin has been working on several designs as part of the £1million contract that will be manufactured in the UK before being shipped out to the Middle-East.

“I have been working on developing a design for an automated catapult, which involved making sure it could be remotely controlled by the user so they could chose the direction, the power and the angle at which the catapult lets go of the projectile, so they can score points by hitting targets.

“It has been quite a complicated process but the skills I learnt while on my course and then on the work placement have been invaluable.”

Clive Mockford, managing director of the company, said: “This is a big project for the company, and it was essential that I could find the calibre of staff I needed to be able to design and develop these unique systems.

“There is no way we could have done this without the input of the graduates from Newcastle. The skill and enthusiasm they have brought to the table have been invaluable.

“I received tremendous support from both the Mechanical Engineering department and the Careers Service at the University. I had very specific needs and the University responded to develop these specialist skills in the North East.

“These designs are state of the art and nothing like this is being made anywhere else. We are leading the world in this type of creative development. It’s very exciting to see the designs come together and the team working so well to deliver the whole project.”

Marc Lintern, director of the Careers Service at Newcastle University said: “This just shows the value that work placements and work experience can have and it is something that the University is very proactive in developing.

“We have several programmes which allow regional companies of all sizes to take our students on temporary work placements. The company benefits from the fresh knowledge and new ideas of a student and the student can develop their own skills in a real workplace environment.

“Kevin took his opportunity, impressed the company with his skills and secured a permanent position, which is a great start to his career.”