Participants in the 5th annual Schools Science and Engineering Challenge in Dubbo this week are being primed to become the region's future town planners and computer programmers.

Aimed at primary and junior high school students, the science challenge pits student teams against each other to design and build bridges, moon buggies, new-age paper aeroplanes, stronger chairs and waterproof paper barges.

Once constructed, the teams test their work in competition to see who has designed and built the strongest and most cost-effective product.

Teams from 13 primary schools across the region pitted their skills against each other in Dubbo yesterday with the winners scheduled to compete in a Super Challenge at Newcastle in August.

Event coordinator Brian Pattinson of the Rotary Club of Dubbo West said the initiative was developed by the University of Newcastle to encourage young people back into engineering careers.

"The numbers of university students studying arts degrees has risen significantly in recent years while fewer have been taking engineering and IT courses," he said.

"We are aiming to reverse that trend by making engineering exciting and challenging."

Students in the Dubbo challenge were asked to design a rail bridge from balsa wood, paper and sticky tape.

According to the rules, teams were given equal amounts of materials but were given extra points if they designed a stronger bridge using less.

"It is amazing to see the interest the kids take in their projects," Mr Pattinson said.

"It becomes a very exciting challenge building up the same fervour among the teams as you would see at a major school sporting challenge.

"It also gives the girls a great opportunity to take on the boys in what has traditionally been a male orientated industry."

Mr Pattinson commented on the situation affecting many regional communities in recent years, which struggle to attract engineering and IT professionals.

"Narromine Council has been trying for six months to get an engineer and many businesses in Dubbo have trouble getting IT people," he said.

Newcastle University science challenge coordinator Bob Nelson praised the efforts of the Dubbo committee, which includes Engineers Australia chairman and Dubbo City Council technical services director Stewart McLeod, the four Dubbo Rotary clubs and the NSW Education Department.

"The idea of the science challenge is to sow the seed, so that hopefully some of these kids will take on engineering as a career," he said.

The engineering challenge kicks off again in Dubbo today with high school students from Year 9 and 10.