Girl power leading the engineering charge

The Skills Show 2016 took place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 17th-19th November and saw Katie Goodwill (pictured above left), Rolls-Royce and Christine McDowell, Belfast Metropolitan College, strike gold.

Eva Blessing Onyelou, Middlesex University and Hannah Frost, UTC Sheffield, took silver while Nicole Catney of Belfast Metropolitan College and Kendal Irvine of JCB Transmissions were awarded Bronze in Semta’s engineering competitions, which saw 116 regional heat winners battle it out for medals.

They were among more than 500 talented young people who took part in competitions covering 61 different skills over three days in front of thousands of visitors. Independent judges assessed the work of competitors and the winners were presented with their medals at The Medal Ceremony on Saturday evening (19th November).

Ann Watson, Chief Executive of Semta the organising partner for 13 of the engineering competitions on behalf of WorldSkills UK said: “It is fantastic to see so many talented young engineers being recognised for excellence and especially pleasing to see more girls than ever before making it on to the podium in our competitions.

“To compete in front of tens of thousands of visitors and then win a medal is a tremendous achievement. I am very encouraged by the standards set and congratulate not just the winners but all those who took part, showcasing their skills and hopefully inspiring the next generation into a career in engineering.”

The engineering competitions run by Semta are: Aeronautical Engineering (Avionic), Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical), CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Industrial Electronics, Mechanical Engineering: CAD, Mechatronics, Robotics, Construction MetalWork, Sheet MetalWork, Welding and the Manufacturing Team Challenge.

Among the many employers represented were JLR, BAE Systems, Airbus Operations, Qinetiq, Toyota, MPI and Alstom Power.

As well as the competitions at The Skills Show, a series of high profile speakers gave inspiring spotlight talks, seminars and there were have-a-go opportunities in dozens of skills disciplines.