The Nova Scotia Intermediate Skills Challenge

The Intermediate Skills Challenge (ISC) is a full-day, hands-on design challenge for Grade 8 & 9 students across the province! Working in teams of two, students design, build, and race model cars powered by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, or saltwater fuel cells. Each team receives a base car kit in advance, along with up to $75 funding to customize and adapt their design to run on green energy. This fun, fast-paced challenge brings science concepts to life while fostering creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

The Challenge directly supports Nova Scotian Grade 9 science curriculum outcomes by engaging students in exploring energy efficiency, making informed power consumption decisions, and the environmental impacts of energy production. Through this experience, students will deepen their understanding of the connections between renewable energy and climate change, while also being introduced to exciting career opportunities in skilled trades and technology that are shaping Canada’s green energy future.