Electrocomponents : RS Components confirms headline sponsorship of FIRST® LEGO® League INTO ORBIT UK and Ireland STEM challenge

RS' latest investment in schools initiative shows continued commitment to support STEM activities and exemplifies company's active role on Year of Engineering stakeholder advisory board

London, UK, 29 May 2018 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponentsplc (LSE:ECM), a global multi-channel distributor, has announced its headline sponsorship of the Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) FIRST® LEGO® League INTO ORBIT^SM 2018/19 season in the UK and Ireland.

FIRST® LEGO® League is a global science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition attracting 35,000 teams in 90 countries, which challenges 6- to 16-year-olds to solve real-world problems with the help of a robot. Teams of up to 10 students, supported by an adult mentor, are required to show skills in robotics, computer programming, teamwork, research, problem solving and communication, with space exploration as the theme. RS' support, through the IET, will enable an additional 20 schools from disadvantaged areas in the UK to participate in this exciting STEM experience.

'Interesting and fun initiatives like the FIRST® LEGO® League are a great way to introduce children to engineering, and highlight the creative aspects of the profession,' commented Lindsley Ruth, CEO of Electrocomponents, the parent company of RS.

'With every initiative we support, it is our aim to inspire more and more schoolchildren toward choosing STEM subjects and pursuing a career in engineering, with the end goal of reducing the skills gap we have in the industry.'

Over recent years, RS has invested in many projects aimed at inspiring young engineers and is a member of the stakeholder advisory board for the UK government's Year of Engineering 2018.

'The Year of Engineering is a unique opportunity for the government, industry and education to unite and to reinforce the message that the UK's future as a global technology leader lies in inspiring and nurturing engineering skills among the nation's young people,' added Lindsley Ruth.

Register a team for FIRST LEGO League
Registration for the regional tournaments of the FIRST® LEGO® League INTO ORBIT^SM challenge is open now to schools across the UK and Ireland. For more information, visit: www.firstlegoleague.co.uk.

The IET is the FIRST® LEGO® League operational partner for the UK and Ireland. Supporting the competition is part of the IET's commitment to inspiring young people to consider STEM-related careers. A video showing highlights from the 2017/18 season UK and Ireland final is available here: https://tv.theiet.org/?videoid=11674.

More about the Year of Engineering 2018
The Year of Engineering is a landmark campaign to transform perceptions of engineering among young people, their parents and teachers - and to inspire the next generation of inventors and innovators. By bringing young people face to face with engineering experiences and role models, the campaign aims to show young people from all backgrounds that engineering could be their chance to shape the world around them.

To find out more and for the latest Year of Engineering news, events and teaching resources, head to www.yearofengineering.gov.uk.

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About RS Components
RS Components and Allied Electronics & Automation are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, a global multi-channel distributor. We offer more than 500,000 industrial and electronics products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provide a wide range of value-added services to over one million customers. With operations in 32 countries, we ship more than 50,000 parcels a day.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2018 had revenues of £1.71bn.

For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-online.com.

Editorial Contact:
Aakriti Kaushik
PR Manager - EMEA
RS Components
aakriti.kaushik@rs-components.com
+44 (0) 7795 400651

PR Agency Contact:
Janice Fenton
Account Director
Publitek Technology PR
janice.fenton@publitek.com
+44 (0) 1225 470000

Further information is available via these links:
Twitter: @RSComponents; @alliedelec; @designsparkRS
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components

Electrocomponents plc
www.electrocomponents.com
RS Components
www.rs-online.com
Allied Electronics & Automation
www.alliedelec.com
DesignSpark
www.rs-online.com/designspark