Engage with engineering

For the Mechatronics competition, seven organisations have been selected to compete as finalists. At an Advanced Level, entrants from BMW UK Manufacturing, Middlesex University, South West College and UTC Sheffield will be competing against one another. At the Higher Level entrants from Festo Ltd, Middlesex University, Northern Regional College and Toyota Manufacturing Ltd will pit against each other for the UK title. The finalists of both categories will then be invited to participate at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi in 2017, where candidates compete against young people from over 50 countries.

The Mechatronics category is always hotly contested where competitors are judged on the knowledge and abilities related to the development of mechatronic systems, industrial controllers, software programming, design circuits, analytical techniques and mechanical design.

Gary Wyles, managing director of Festo, says, "These types of events are not only a lot of fun but they're incredibly important to introduce young people to all careers and skills levels. What is great about this year is the number of finalists from colleges, universities and also those from the manufacturing sector itself. I wish all the candidates the very best, especially the team from Festo!"

WorldSkills is just one of the many ways that Festo engages with young people to promote engineering and manufacturing as a rewarding career path. 10% of the company's employees are STEM ambassadors and regularly work with school children and colleges in the area to raise awareness of manufacturing and engineering as a career choice.

The Skill Show takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, 19th-21st November 2015