JB Springs apprentices and employees who fail to solve a series of spring based problems may find themselves spending more time at work than they planned.

As part of our Springtelligence training and education programme, we have created an escape room which will be used as a hands-on form of assessment for the Level 1 Springtelligence course we run internally.

The escape room is inside the original office from the John Binns & Son Factory at Fleece Street, Keighley. When the company moved to its new purpose-built site in Skipton the office came too, hoisted by a crane and transported on a low loader.

The office, dubbed ‘The Tardis’ because it resembles Dr. Who’s Tardis, measures 8’ by 5’. There is an old scribe’s desk at one end; the drawers of which are now filled with Springtelligence puzzles and activities.

After completing their training, Springtelligence ‘Undergraduates’ are locked in the escape room and will need to solve the spring-related problems and puzzles to unlock the door. Only by escaping the room will they graduate to fully-fledged ‘Springtellectuals’.  The original Factories Act from 1937 is fixed to one of the walls as well as a letter from the Ministry of Supply thanking John Binns & Son for their help towards the war effort, in particular by supplying springs for tanks and components for Russia. Going into the office is like taking a step back in time.

Escape rooms provide a new way of engaging students with the subject matter and makes them more likely to retain the information. They also enable participants to practice time management, problem-solving and maintain focus under pressure.

We hope that this fun addition to Springtelligence will bring us closer to our aim of engaging and inspiring the next generation of spring makers.