Isle of Man ACE Forum unveils new logo designed by local school children

The Awareness of Careers in Engineering (ACE) Forum has unveiled a new logo, created by two talented pupils from Jurby Community School, as part of its mission to raise awareness of engineering and manufacturing careers in the Isle of Man.

Launched during STEMFest 2023, the design competition invited primary school pupils from across the Island to imagine what the ACE Forum’s logo should look like. Rather than commissioning a traditional design, the Forum wanted to engage young minds and highlight the creativity that underpins engineering.

Judging took place in August 2024, and two pupils from Jurby School were announced as the joint winners. Katie was chosen as the overall design winner, recognised for her imaginative use of the Isle of Man’s iconic Three Legs of Mann symbol. Macy impressed the judges with her outer circle concept, which included the full name “Awareness of Careers in Engineering”. Both designs were combined in early 2025 by local graphic designer Megan Turner who developed the final logo that will now represent the ACE Forum moving forward.

To celebrate their achievement, ACE Chair Melanie Beattie visited Jurby School to present both pupils with annual passes to Curraghs Wildlife Park. The school received £1,000 worth of LEGO kits.

While the ACE Forum may not be widely known yet, it has worked for over 15 years to promote careers in engineering and manufacturing. As a sub-group of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce’s Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing Forum, ACE is made up of local businesses committed to inspiring the next generation.

The Forum co-funds STEM activities in schools alongside Business Isle of Man, including initiatives such as Young Engineers, Primary Engineer, and UK trips for apprentices. Forum members also support school visits and take part in the annual STEMFest, which was most recently held at the Villa Marina in March 2025.

Melanie Beattie, Chair of the ACE Forum, commented:

‘This was a really exciting opportunity not only to create some much-needed branding for our ACE Forum and raise awareness of the work we do, but also to engage with the Island’s school children and allow them to take the lead.’

‘We launched this competition at STEMFest 2023, and it was such a great chance to talk to the children about what they envisioned a logo for Awareness of Careers in Engineering would look like. As always, their creative brains did not disappoint, and I am absolutely thrilled with the end result. My congratulations go to both Katie and Macy for their fabulous winning designs and to Jillian Cranmer for guiding them through the process.’

Jillian Cranmer, Class 4 Teacher at Jurby Community School, commented: 

‘We are so proud of Macy and Katie for jointly winning the competition to design a new logo for ACE. Jurby School has been taking part in the Primary Engineering Construction Project for just over twelve months now, and it has put careers in engineering and construction on the map for us! As well as the actual build project itself, it has opened the children’s minds to thinking about architecture, design, global construction techniques and, of course, different types of engineering.’

‘We have worked with a couple of engineers from Swagelok on our projects, and also with Adrian from Young Engineers. Macy and Katie won a Year’s pass to the Wildlife Park each, and some fabulous Lego for the school, which we are going to be building with the help of Daniel, our Swagelok engineer.”

The ACE Forum looks forward to continuing its outreach and collaboration with schools, helping more young people explore the exciting and varied career pathways available within engineering and manufacturing on the Isle of Man.