Britain's young engineering elite gathered at the NEC Birmingham today (November 13th) to go for gold at ‘the Skills Olympics'.
More than 60 young apprentices, skilled in 13 different engineering disciplines will compete over three days of intense competition before an expected audience of 75,000 spectators. The engineering competition – organised by Semta – at The Skills Show is due to be visited by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP.
Winners from last year's competition are preparing for the WorldSkills international finals in Sao Paulo Brazil next summer while those who win gold at this year's event could be heading to Abu Dhabi in 2017.
Semta's chief operating officer Ann Watson said: “The atmosphere is buzzing – just like a world class sporting arena. These young men and women are shining examples of what a brilliant career choice an apprenticeship can be. It is fantastic to see so many young engineers make it through to the Skills Show and I am particularly pleased there are some young women in the finals this year – there were none in 2013.
“Many of those who attend the event are schoolchildren, their teachers and parents who we hope can be inspired by what they see,” she continued. “We need more apprentices, as well as more graduates, to keep the talent pipeline flowing and this is an ideal platform to show those visiting what they can achieve by becoming an engineer. I wish all the competitors the best of luck in the competitions and their chosen careers.”
The competitions run and supported by employer-led Semta, which is engineering skills for the future, are: Aeronautical Engineering (Avionic); Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical); CNC Milling; CNC Turning; Industrial Electronics; Mechanical Engineering: CAD; Mechatronics; Mobile Robotics; Construction Metalwork; Sheet Metalwork; and Welding.
The Skills Show attracts around 75,000 visitors and provides a wide range of hands on experiences for visitors in the ‘Have a Go' areas ranging from hairdressing to engineering, hospitality to plumbing.
Skills Show is free to attend and open from 13-15 November 2014.
Skills Show
www.theskillsshow.com
