Next up though will be another intensive training session at a WorldSkills Bootcamp at Warwick University later this month (March 25-26).
The qualifying students are: Charlie Carson and Jason Scott, who are both second year Foundation Degree students at Northern Regional College in Ballymena where they are studying Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Electric and Electronic Engineering respectively; Jude Moore who completed a Foundation Degree in Engineering at the College before progressing to Ulster University where he is now in the second year of a BEng (Mechanical) degree; and Eva Hodgson, an HNC apprentice at Bridgend College in Wales and the first female to qualify for the UK industrial robotics squad.
All four have previous enjoyed success at the WorldSkills national competitions and are hoping that this experience will help them secure their place on Team UK for the international competitions.
Charlie and Jason were gold medal winners at WorldSkills UK National finals in 2022; Eva was a silver medallist in the same competition while Jude won a bronze medal at WorldSkills UK National finals in 2021.
Congratulating all four students on qualifying, Karla Kosch, WorldSkills UK Training Manager and Engineering lecturer at Northern Regional College explained the next stage of the development programme: “Following the Bootcamp in Warwick, there will be another selection process in early April and two of the four students will be selected to compete in the EuroSkills competitions.
“They’ve all worked very hard to reach this stage of the selection process. It has been a great journey for them, and I wish them all every success,” she added.