Tameside College Engineers claim World Skills honours

Two higher-level apprentices, who study at Tameside College’s Advanced Technology Centre, have won bronze at the World Skills UK 2019 final in Birmingham.

Their bronze medal in the industrial control category at the World Skills UK 2019 final, places them amongst the best trainees in the sector. The three day competition tested candidates’ skills such as fault finding, coding, and programming on an automatic rig. Competitors included TATA Steel, UTC Sheffield and Edinburgh Napier University.

Michael Wallis and Thomas Yendall are training with Siemens on a HND electrical engineering course, to learn the skills of industrial control at the college’s state of the art centre for engineering and manufacturing. Both apprentices are employed in automation operative roles with global giant Amazon.

Thomas, from Middlesbrough, said: “The World Skills UK final was a great experience. We didn’t know what to expect when put our names forward. We were delighted to be awarded third place as the competition was strong. There was a great atmosphere at the event, especially at the awards evening.”

Michael, from Essex, said: “The competition really tested our skills. We get on well with each other which is good as we had to work under pressure with tight deadlines. We had to show good time management and plan our activities carefully. The technology and facilities at Tameside College have helped us adapt to the competition conditions.”