Rochdale Training apprentices finish second in competition

Rochdale Training apprentices construct a can crusher

Rochdale engineering apprentices took part in a competition arranged by Rochdale Training and went up against teams from across the North West.

The Rochdale team came second in the competition, which asked the apprentices to construct a fully working can crusher as well as undertaking interviews with the judging panel.

Adam Latham, level 2 engineering student at Rochdale Training, said: “It was a great action packed day. It allowed us to put all the skills that we’ve learnt since September to the test in a different way than we usually would in the workshop.”

The competition was held on Tuesday 21 January and involved five teams of level 2 engineering apprentices. Each team was given a brief to produce a can crusher using selected equipment and materials. With all the planning and design work done beforehand, the teams had just four hours to complete the construction of the crusher.

As well as presenting their finished product to show just how well their can crusher worked, each of the teams were interviewed by the judging panel, which included Nigel Austin from BAE Systems and the Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Peter Rush.

Mayor Rush praised the event and said: “Apprentices form the backbone of our success and continue the skills needed to keep us competitive as a country. These young people will shape the future workforce of our businesses.”

The competition was arranged by Rochdale Training in aid of WorldSkills UK and was supported by the National Apprenticeship Service. The aim of the competition was to help participants gain confidence, motivation and self esteem. The competition also wanted to unite independent training providers from the North West.

Rochdale Training Tutor, David Hilton said: “It was a cracking day. There was a good effort put in from all of the training organisations that participated. All of the apprentices were enthusiastic and worked well.”

Raeleen Duthoit, from the Lancashire Work Based Learning Executive Forum added: “Everyone was blown away by the level of competence and expertise that was displayed. There were some incredible pieces produced, and the enthusiasm shown by the apprentices was great to see.”