Arron Wilcock, a ‘reliability maintenance engineering apprentice’ at
Amazon and part of the
Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Training Apprenticeship Programme, has been announced as the winner of this year’s
Skills Awards Trophy Design Competition. His design will now be manufactured by industrial automation specialist
www.fanuc.co.uk Fanuc and presented at the
Enginuity Skills Awards 2024.
Ann Watson, chief executive of
Enginuity (a charity dedicated to finding new ways to close skills gaps in UK engineering and manufacturing), said: “To close skills gaps, it is vital that we inspire people with the careers available in engineering and manufacturing and share best practice in skills development. We are proud that the
Enginuity Skills Awards have been celebrating UK skills excellence and champions for 10 years. Rapid advancements in engineering and manufacturing make this annual celebration even more important as we strive to ensure that skills keep pace with change.”
The MTC and Fanuc are both supporters of the
Enginuity Skills Awards 2024, with Fanuc sponsoring the Large Employer Skills Champion category. The two organisations teamed up with the engineering and manufacturing awarding and end-point assessment specialist EAL, which sponsored the Training Partner Skills Champion of the Year award.
Over 150 engineering apprentices on MTC Training Apprenticeship Programmes were invited to submit designs for the trophies. Entrants were asked to produce a CAD design, 3-D print a prototype, and present a business case for their design.
Arron Wilcock’s design was selected as the winner by a panel comprising: Andy Harvey (an applications engineer, at Fanuc UK); Oliver Selby (head of sales at Fanuc UK); Jason Daniels (the EAL’s regional development manager); and James Wagstaff (the MTC’s programme delivery manager). His design impressed the judges by incorporating references to ‘lifelong learning, skills development, growth, and sustainability in manufacturing’.