Winners of the WorldSkills UK’s Designathon took their innovative concept from idea to reality during a hands-on experience at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Training in Coventry.
The Designathon, part of WorldSkills UK’s competition-based learning programme which is embedding world-class skills in technical education and apprenticeships, challenged students to tackle real-world engineering problems with creative, practical solutions. The winning team from New College Lanarkshire in Scotland impressed judges with their robotic grabber design, a precision tool for automated picking and placing, that showed strong potential for real-world application.
Hosted at MTC Training, an award-winning engineering training centre, the students collaborated with engineers, CAD specialists, and manufacturing experts to bring their concept to life. Using advanced CAD software, each learner designed their own grabber, explored the full 3D printing process from slicing to production, and programmed robots to operate their tools.
This immersive experience gave learners a rare opportunity to engage directly with cutting-edge technologies in a real-world setting, allowing them to gain valuable insight into the future of automation, robotics, and additive manufacturing.
The day concluded with an inspiring presentation from Professor David Wimpenny, Chief Technologist at MTC, who shared his insights with the students on the exciting career opportunities within Additive Manufacturing.
“Congratulations to the talented students from New College Lanarkshire, it’s been fantastic to see their ideas come to life," says Parisa Shirazi, Director of Standards at WorldSkills UK. "Huge thanks to MTC Training for hosting our Designathon, part of our competition-based learning programme. Events like this are a powerful way to support young people in developing the technical skills that employers are crying out for. By bringing industry and education together, we can equip all young people with the skills that will help fuel business growth across the UK.”
To find out more about WorldSkills UK’s competition-based Learning programme visit the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab. The free virtual learning platform provides on-demand teaching and assessment tools and resources to help embed world-class skills in technical education and apprenticeships.
