NATIONAL FORUM FOR ENGINEERING CENTRES

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NATIONAL FORUM FOR ENGINEERING CENTRES

• WorldSkills Competitions
• engaging engineering
• Jenny Shackleton
• Competitions Director
• UK Skills
• 24 May 2007

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The purpose of this presentation

• To introduce the WorldSkills 2011 Competition
• To show what has happened to engineering skills
  on the WorldSkills stage
• To explain what is being done to remedy this
  situation
• To seek involvement and support to restore
  intermediate engineering skills to a respected
  position in international competitions

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The UKs goal for a world-beating team in 2011

• Entries in 30 plus competitions
• Medals in at least 10 competitions including 5
  gold
• Top 5 place in average scores
• Engineering accounts for 25-30 of WorldSkills
  competitions

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Engineering related WorldSkills competitions

• Polymechanics/automation no UK entries ever
• Manufacturing team challenge no UK entry 2005 or
  2007
• Mechatronics no UK entry 2007
• Mechanical engineering CADD UK entry 2007
• CNC turning no UK entry 2007
• CNC milling UK entry 2007
• Welding good record of UK entries
• Autobody repair good record of UK entries
• Industrial electronics no UK entry 2005 or 2007
• Electrical installation no UK entry 2003, 2005
  or 2007
• Industrial control no UK entry ever
• Automobile technology good record of UK entries
• Telecommunication distribution technology no UK
  entry 2007
• Mobile robotics no UK entry 2007

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Why the dismal record for engineering?

• Culture
• Structural change
• Weak educational foundations
• Lack of progression opportunities
• Low expectations
• Lack of leadership

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UK Skills and Skills Competitions

• Within the VET system UK Skills is responsible
  for
• preparing the UK team to excel in WorldSkills
  competitions
• changing public attitudes to skills by
  celebrating excellence through competitions
• drawing skills competitions across the economy
  into a single national QA framework
• promoting innovation in skills competitions

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The case for skills competitions

• Involvement in competitions for business and
  training
• Instils mutual pride in the job, the profession
  and the company
• Widens the options for growth, product choice and
  organisational development
• Puts benchmarks in place and tests performance
• Injects ambition and striving
• Offers huge PR benefits

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The advantages of competing for training centres

• Excellent vehicle for marketing
• Builds a wider reputation and profile
• Conveys forward looking message
• Demonstrates a commitment to quality
• Enables close liaison with industry
• Encourages industrial sponsorship and partnership

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The advantages for trainers

• Provides focus for curriculum planning
• Encourages up to date knowledge and skills
• Provides subsequent training resource
• Provides wider networking
• Has an energising effect
• Acts as a vehicle for team building

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Advantages for trainees

• Raises standards
• Enhances values and expectations
• Provides opportunity to practice in pressurised
  situations
• Builds confidence and self esteem
• Enables extended peer referencing
• Exposes the learner to other professionals
• Establishes new network of friends/contacts

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Competition essentials

• Whether purpose-built or hooked into the
  WorldSkills selection process, all skills
  competitions require
• strong design
• robust organisation
• skilled assessment
• reward for achievement
• review, evaluation and development
• impact, PR and publicity

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The new model for UK skills competitions
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The model as applied to engineering

• A rejuvenated SkillENG committee
• Strategic leadership
• Focus on most likely successes
• Underpinning with action research, networking and
  PR
• Search for a strong organisational base

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The milestones 2 cycles

• National/regional skills competitions run in
  2007/8, 2008/9 and 2009/10
• Short listing competitions run in 2008 and 2010
• Team selection and training from late 2008
• WorldSkills Competitions in 2009 and 2011

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Priorities for WorldSkills entries 2009 and 2011

• Manufacturing team challenge
• Mechatronics
• Mechanical engineering CADD
• CNC milling or turning
• Welding
• Autobody repair
• Industrial electronics
• Electrical installation
• Automobile technology
• Mobile robotics

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What engineering training centres can do to help

• Generally promote skills competitions in
  engineering as an aid to achievement
• Specifically encourage centres to use
  competitions as an aid to achievement and
  excellence
• Encourage entries from good centres with highly
  performing learners and trainees
• Give feedback to UK Skills on centres
  experiences with skills competitions

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To know more and/or get involved please contact

• Bill Jones on 07773 253351 or
• at bill.jones59_at_btinternet.com
• Charles Turner on 020 7612 9270 or
• at charles.turner_at_ukskills.org.uk
• www.ukskills.org.uk

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Footnote on raising the bar the Star Units
Project

• Involving all 5 Coventry and Warwickshire
  colleges
• Involving motor vehicle engineering as well as
  several other skills sectors
• Testing methods of crediting exceptional
  performance against work performance
• Piloting and extending findings to all
  stakeholders
• Proving that exceptional performance can be
  identified and credited without damage to the
  system and with significant benefits to all.
• For further information email jenny.shackleton_at_uks
  kills.org.uk