Three apprentices from GE Aviation Wales have made it through to the UK final of the WorldSkills UK competition, taking place later this year.
Over recent months, Megan Christie, Jamie Williams and Pawel Abramowicz have been working together on an engineering project that has tested their technical, strategic and creative skills. Success in the regional competitions means they have now secured their position in the Manufacturing Team Challenge section of the UK final in November.
The team used experiences and skills from their apprenticeship rotations at GE Aviation Wales and college sessions to design and construct a computer-controlled robot that could complete a series of simple tasks – collecting ball bearings (without magnets), move them around a course and then deposit them safely at a given location.
Megan, Jamie and Pawel had to lean heavily on their manufacturing, fabrication, coding, electrical engineering and Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills to complete the task; whilst also considering how much time to allocate to specific tasks, commit to a project plan and work as a team. They also received support from former GE Aviation Wales apprentice Mike Jones who is currently preparing to represent Team GB at the WorldSkills Global Final – also in the manufacturing challenge category.
Megan, Jamie and Pawel will now head to the World Skills Competition UK Final in November, where they will be challenged to recreate their work against the other finalists over the course of two days.
Speaking after their place in the UK Final was confirmed, the team said:
“Taking part in WorldSkills has been a great experience and I’ve really enjoyed the competitive element! Working with Megan and Jamie has also helped me grow as part of the team and I’m looking forward to bringing my experiences back to site.” (Pawel)
“My favourite thing about the WorldSkills competition so far is the creative element and having a chance to develop my CAD skills. It’s great to be able to take this experience back into work while also getting ready for the Final!” (Megan)
“I’m really looking forward to next step in the WorldSkills competition – it’s been a big journey to get here but I’ve enjoyed being pushed and challenged beyond my comfort zone. Getting a chance to combine the support from college and different teams at site has really made a difference to our chances!” (Jamie)
Commenting, Nick Blakeney (Managing Director, GE Aviation Wales) said:
“I’m hugely proud of Megan, Jamie and Pawel making it through to the WorldSkills UK Final – they’ve done an amazing job. With the focus and energy the Leadership Team, Apprenticeship Team, Quality and HR teams put on supporting, training and continuously developing our employees, this is a great moment to celebrate.
“The future of GE Aviation Wales is going to be built on the skills of our employees and apprentices as they work their way through the programme, grow in their careers and develop new experiences of working in different situations. I know the team going to WorldSkills will do a fantastic job representing GE Aviation, our site and everyone who has supported them this far – everyone’s wishing them the best!”
GE Aviation Wales offers frequent and diverse training opportunities to the entire workforce. Over 4,000 hours are committed every year to the continuous professional development of more than 900 full time engineers.
Many of these employees come through GE Aviation Wales’ apprenticeship programme, which is delivered in partnership with Coleg y Cymoedd. This partnership allows GE to equip apprentices with the academic and technical qualifications they need to thrive as employees. The programme is spread over three years and typically attracts around 450 applications for just 20 positions. On average 95% of apprentices who graduate from the programme stay with the business and over one third of the current workforce at the Nantgarw site joined as apprentices.
GE Aviation Wales’ apprenticeship programme opens for applications in October – November 2022.
