We welcome home Andrew, Isaac and James and couldn’t be more proud of their achievement.
Andrew, James and Isaac have completed the world skills competition, they are home now, and back to their day jobs. They finished sixth overall in their section and have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, what a fantastic achievement to be able to represent your country in front of the whole world.
Their category was one of the most challenging with many countries pulling out last minute, some not finishing the task at all, so we are filled with great pride our lads qualified and completed their project.
They are the fourth team of apprentices from CMB to have been selected for team UK, this selection reflects the company’s highly advanced engineering skills, technical expertise and commitment to developing the engineers and beverage Canmakers of tomorrow.
They were among 37 young trainees representing the UK in 32 disciplines including industries as diverse as engineering, construction, creative arts and logistics. More than 1,600 apprentices and students competed in Kazan from around 70 countries. Both the opening and closing ceremonies were shown live on TV and streamed around the world (including the UK) Vladimir Putin himself oversaw the closing ceremony and gave a speech at the end.
Reflecting on their experience the lads had this to say:
Andrew – Competing in the world skills has taught me many lessons and given me so many new skills and life lessons that will transfer through into my day-to-day life. The whole experience was much bigger than I expected, the competitor village where we slept and ate was massive, the scale of the opening ceremony itself was breathtaking and that night the reality and responsibility of what lay ahead really hit home. I was initially worried about the skill level of the teams I would be competing against, that we might have been completely out of our league, it soon became apparent we were on the same kind of playing field as the other teams in our discipline so I relaxed and got on with the job. We had many opportunities to bond with not only the rest of the UK team, but also competitors from around the world, this was a truly unique experience and I am still in contact with friends I made from the Korean team. I have no regrets at all and I would highly recommend any future apprentices to get involved.
James – The experience and the training I have received during the World Skills competition has already greatly improved my work life, I have noticed a difference in myself since I got back from Russia, I am much more confident in my work and my social skills have also greatly improved, I am overall much more confident as a person. Skill wise this opportunity has put me a lot further ahead in my apprenticeship than I would have been had I not been involved in the competition. I would definitely recommend getting involved with World Skills.
Isaac – Being involved in the World Skills was a fantastic opportunity, going to a country like Russia and experiencing their culture is an adventure I will never forget, it would never have happened had it not been for the competition. Meeting people from all around the world was amazing and the skills I have learned will help me a lot in the future.
Andrew Truelove General Manager at CarnaudMetalbox Engineering comments: ‘Representing your country on the world stage is no easy feat. It takes hard work, determination and a high level of skill and we are thrilled that our young engineers went to the finals in Kazan, just their selection is an outstanding achievement and a fine testament to the value and quality of the apprenticeship schemes we are proud to run at CMB Engineering. Our record of representing the company and the UK at these finals is second to none and something we take great pride in!’
James, Andrew and Isaac would like to thank CMB Engineering and World Skills UK for all their support over the last 3 years and if any fellow apprentices were thinking of applying for a place in the UK team, they would be happy to share their experience and advice with you.
Email caroline.symonds@eur.crowncork.co.uk if you would like to get in touch with the team.
Team UK brought home 19 medals from WorldSkills Kazan 2019. With two gold, one silver, one bronze medal and 15 medallions of excellence, we are very proud of them all. The event was a fantastic success and showcased just how well UK skills systems can train young people to succeed.
Below are a few photos of their journey:
Winning Gold at the Skills UK competition, sending them on their journey to Russia.
Working on their design of the electric wheelchair, the task they were given in the Manufacturing Team Challenge section.
Arriving in Kazan, Russia.
All ready for the opening ceremony.
Competition time, game faces on.
The completed electric wheelchair.
Celebrations at the closing ceremony.
