National competition for 11-14s reveals secrets of how sounds, shows, shoes and snacks are made

School children across the country have a unique opportunity to take an exclusive backstage tour of some of the UK's most exciting companies and to meet the young engineers developing today's music, fashion, sport, technology and food.

Nine exclusive competitions include going behind the scenes with world-leading film visual effects company, Double Negative (The Hunger Games, Godzilla and Harry Potter), a studio session with Rihanna's album engineer, Sam Wheat, and joining the production crew of hit West End show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The competitions launch today to mark Tomorrow's Engineers Week (#TEWeek14) which takes place from 3rd-7th November 2014. The week aims to change perceptions of engineering among young people, their parents and teachers and celebrates the everyday engineering heroes that design, create and innovate to improve our lives.

The nine competition prizes are:

• Discover the technology behind music with sound engineer Sam Wheat who has worked with artists like Rihanna, Pharrell and Paloma Faith;
• Go behind the scenes at the West End production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Head of Automation, Ben Phillips;
• Tour the Dr. Martens' Northamptonshire factory and customise your own pair of boots;
• Meet the engineering experts who designed Katy Perry's LED skirt at fashion house CuteCircuit in London – and get a sneak preview of their new designs;
• Take a tour of visual effects house Double Negative, meet the artists who work on massive blockbusters like Godzilla, Hunger Games, Man of Steel and the Harry Potter films and learn all about their work with a special talk in their cinema just for you and your friends;
• Take a tour of the Walkers Crisps factory and learn how the nation's favourite crisps are made;
• Give your classmates an adrenaline rush with tickets to THORPE PARK Resort, find out how rollercoasters are made/work and get an Annual Pass for you and your family;
• Tour the BT tower with broadcast engineer, Jack Downey, to discover the secrets behind the BT Sports broadcast room;
• Tour the London Aquatics Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and see some of the award-winning design and engineering behind one of the iconic venues of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Enter the Tomorrow's Engineers Week competitions at www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk or www.facebook.com/TomorrowsEngineers. Entrants must be aged 11-14 and entry is free.

Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of Engineering UK said:

"Engineers are behind almost every aspect of our lives and the work they do makes a vital contribution to our lives and to the UK economy. But not enough young people know about the opportunities that a career in engineering can offer which is why Tomorrow's Engineers Week is so important. We hope these exciting competitions and the other events and activities taking place this week will inspire the next generation of talented engineers."

Sam Wheat, Sound Engineer at Metropolis Studios said:

"If you have a passion for music, becoming a sound engineer is a great way to see how the music industry works. Being part of the creative process and seeing a recording that I have worked on have success in the charts is very rewarding."

Asha Harper, Footwear Production apprentice at Dr Martens said:

"Being an engineer at Dr. Martens and playing a part in making boots that have been a symbol of British fashion for so many years is a great job. Dr. Martens are known all over the world and I feel proud to be part of it."

According to EngineeringUK, engineering companies will have 2.5 million job openings between 2012 and 2022. Through Tomorrow's Engineers Week, industry and government aim to address the fact that far too few school children, particularly girls, are choosing the right GCSEs, A Levels, Apprenticeships, degrees or other vocational pathways that will lead to engineering careers. 85% of engineering graduates go on to employment or further study within 6 months of graduating and graduate engineers had the second highest mean salary in 2012. [1]

Full details of all competitions and terms and conditions are available on www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk. The closing date for entries is Wednesday, 26th November at 09:00.