Fife College student wins UK engineering competition

Automotive engineering student Mark McAdams (@FifeCollege) has received a gold medal after winning the Heavy Vehicle Technology category at the WorldSkills UK competition (@WorldSkillsUK).

The competition is designed to discover the most talented students and apprentices in the country, and took place at Cardiff and Vale College in Wales.

Mark, from Dunfermline, was challenged to finish a number of automotive tasks over two days, including diagnosing and fixing problems on the suspension, gearbox and engine of a heavy goods vehicle.

Judges then evaluated the performance of Mark and the other five finalists, based on how quickly and effectively they solved the issue.

Mark was announced as the winner in his category by Channel 4’s Steph McGovern, who did a live video from her ‘Packed Lunch’ studio that was streamed on the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) website.

Fellow Fife College student Ian Robertson also made the finals of the WorldSkills UK competition in the Automotive Technology category, and although missing out on a medal he was highly commended by judges for his efforts.

Fife College student and apprentice with Fife Council, Mark McAdams said:

“I’m really pleased to have won, the competition was really tough, but to win a UK-wide competition like this is a real confidence boost.

“The tasks in the final were challenging, but it was fun to be given a chance to get stuck into diagnosing and fixing all the different faults that the judges had come up with.

“I knew I had the experience through my College course and my work with Fife Council to fix the different issues, it was just a matter of applying the knowledge I had to each one.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at the College, and it helped lay the foundations for my career.

“I want to thank my lecturers for letting me know about the competition and encouraging me to give it a go.”

Martin MacKenzie, an Automotive Lecturer at Fife College said:

“We’re so proud of Mark and what he’s achieved.

“This is an extremely tough competition, and to be named as the best student in his category is an amazing accomplishment.

“He had already done brilliantly just to make the final, but to be awarded the gold medal shows just how knowledgeable and diligent he is.

“Both he and Ian should be really pleased with their efforts, and we have no doubt that this will give them a real boost as they continue their careers.”