Shrewsbury College Group Engineering Apprentices collect accolades in major competitions

Two teams of engineering apprentices from SCG have secured their place in the WorldSkills UK Finals in November 2019 after designing and building a remote control crane from scratch – they are two of only six teams selected across Great Britain to make it to the national finals at the NEC.

Claire Shepherd, Learning and Development Specialist at Ricoh, said: “Ricoh UK Products Ltd are delighted that our teams have secured their place in the National Finals of the 2019 Manufacturing Team Challenge.

“Our teams have certainly put lots of hard work, effort and commitment into their projects so far, and are now striving to improve the functionality and durability of their machines as they prepare for the National Finals. Very well deserved, and testament to the dedication of our apprentices! Good luck for the National Finals!”

Richard Annett, General Manager at Makita, said: “Ryan Lee joined that programme with Makita a year ago and we have seen him evolve into a young enthusiastic and capable Junior Engineer. He is certainly one of our shining stars and we are looking forward to his future development and long and fruitful career here at Makita.

“His growth has occurred first and foremost through his own efforts, but has been assisted heavily by support and education provided by Shrewsbury College. I know how proud both Makita and Ricoh are at the progress the team has made by making it through to the National finals at the NEC in November and we are sure with their hard efforts they will reap the rewards.”

This follows further success in June, where students studying on Engineering Foundation Degree qualifications at SCG, competed at Staffordshire Universities GradEx19 show, where they scooped up First, second and third in their engineering categories for the second year in a row!

Andrew Lee, Engineering Curriculum Leader, said: “I am extremely proud of all our students and apprentices in engineering. Those that have gone onto collect the awards and reach finals in competitions, is evidence in itself that our apprentices and students are some of the best in the country.

“This isn’t just down to the individual’s hard work in reaching such a high level, but also the support provided to ensure they can thrive from their employers, mentors and the staff in the engineering team here at SCG.”