Skip to content
Overview
Inspire Youth Zone in Chorley is a busy youth charity in the town centre serving young people aged 7 to 18, and up to 25 for those with additional needs. Alongside sport and creative arts, its MakerZone brings 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics and robotics to evening and after school sessions.
MakerZone Coordinator, Kirsty Lane joined 3D 360’s Lancashire Advanced Manufacturing Skills Bootcamp to build practical confidence across CAD, 3D printing and related technologies that she can pass on to young people.
Background
Kirsty leads both the creative arts room and the MakerZone, planning curriculum and team activity. The centre typically welcomes 80 to 120 young people each evening, with focused clubs from about 4.30 pm, for example a Monday 3D print club and a sculpture club. The MakerZone has been open just over a year, and the team is intentionally shaping activity around what local young people say they want to try. .
“Our job is to introduce them and give them the experiences and the pathways to create something for themselves and to spark that interest.”
Programme Delivery
Kirsty approached the course as a self-confessed beginner in areas like robotics and electronics, but found the delivery clear, practical and easy to follow in bite-sized steps. She valued the mix of hands-on sessions, one-to-one support and peer learning, and left each module with ideas to test back at Inspire, from CAD with pen-and-tablet workflows to simple robotics demonstrations that favour tangible interaction.
“....very bite-sized chunks... nothing was too far that I couldn’t follow.”
Outcomes & Impact
Kirsty now has clearer routes to introduce digital making to mixed-ability groups, keeping activities tactile and collaborative.
- CAD that feels creative, using tools like Blender to let young people sculpt with a stylus rather than a mouse, reducing barriers to entry for those who prefer hands-on art.
- Session design and staffing, with colleagues enrolling on the same training to widen delivery capacity and sustain the programme.
- Confident first steps for beginners, so staff can take young people from A to B in 3D printing and CAD, then signpost deeper pathways where appropriate.
- Broader participation, by keeping activities physical, visual and social, which suits Inspire’s evening sessions and inclusive learning.
- Curriculum ideas the team can action quickly, from print-ready models to simple electronics experiments, backed by an internal wishlist of equipment suited to youth work.
- VR used as a shared activity, exploring ways to cast a headset view to an interactive whiteboard so 40 learners can take part, not just the person wearing the headset.
- Robotics that rewards curiosity, such as pen-following robots that make cause and effect obvious.
- Workforce development, with additional staff enrolling so more sessions can run and more young people can be supported.
Future Developments
Inspire plans to continue refining their MakerZone offers in response to young people’s interests, exploring sustainable making and cross-centre links across the OnSide youth zone network. Build on 3D printing activities and also explore casting VR to shared screens, expanding CAD activities that emphasise stylus input, and testing accessible robots are all on the roadmap, alongside outreach opportunities such as a 3D 360 STEM truck visit.
Looking to build practical 3D printing skills that deliver real impact and fast?
3D 360’s 3D Printing & Industry 4.0 Skills Bootcamps offer hands-on, industry-focused training that equips youth groups, educators and businesses with the tools to solve problems, increase productivity, improve efficiency and drive innovation. Suitable for all abilities, they cover 3D Printing, 3D CAD, robotics, automation, AI, Big Data and much more. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to upskill your team, these programmes provide a solid foundation in advanced manufacturing.
Places go quickly, so register your interest or request a call back to find out more.
Delivered in partnership with Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub.
Objective
Equip youth workers with practical digital making skills so they can run engaging, hands-on sessions in 3D printing, CAD, VR and robotics for large evening cohorts and inclusion groups.
Solution
Blend structured, bite-sized learning with peer support and one-to-one guidance, then translate each module into activities that are visual, tactile and scalable for 40-plus learners.
Outcome
A confident MakerZone team with clear first steps in place, an expanding menu of digital activities, and a practical plan to involve more staff so more young people can access creative technology safely after school and in evening sessions.
“Anyone in a youth-based role would benefit… it’s definitely worthwhile.”
