ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 15 RISING STAR focus on the task at hand. Also, it’s a cliché, but always read the question properly and follow every instruction. Attention to detail is so important and gains the all-important points. Preparation and having the correct tools on competition day, laying out and having everything to hand reduces stress and time. Running out of time can be an issue but cutting corners isn’t the answer. Reaching that stage, mentally being prepared is important, and getting sufficient rest between competition days allows you to be ready to tackle that daily assignment. I have been lucky to have won RAC IOR National Student of the Year, ACR Journal Trainee of the Year, ACR News Trainee of the Year, BESA winner of regional heats of Worldskills UK, Gold medal winner of RACHPskills and now been selected for Worldskills Team UK. I have demonstrated that I can transfer skills from the classroom to the workshop and believe I am the only person to achieve all these successes. What’s next for you? I have started my HNC in mechanical engineering to gain entry to university, and I plan to keep working on my hands- on abilities until I can progress to a management-style role. I also intend to remain in the military sector and the vast research and development opportunities that come with it. What do you see as the challenges facing the industry? The industry has to face up to its part in global warming and continue to strive for greener solutions. I believe the Industry needs to attract future apprentices by focusing on young school leavers. It needs to be an attractive career, and with a mix of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and scientific knowledge, it is an exciting future. Increasing the profile of the industry via STEM in schools will appeal to all budding engineers. Who have been the most influential people in your career, and what advice would you give someone starting in the RACHP industry? I feel exceptionally lucky to be nurtured in a company where my line manager, Joe Mills, has a wealth of knowledge. Eastleigh College has supported me, and without lecturers like Shaun Creech and all the tutors, I wouldn’t have progressed in the competition. I would like to also mention my school design technology teacher, Mr Dew, for all the time he invested in helping me and giving me the confidence to apply for an apprentice role. I also would like to acknowledge Mark Forsyth for all his endeavours in RACHPskills; he works tirelessly to make the competition so successful. Fujitsu was phenomenal with sponsoring the event and extremely generous with the corporate event to announce the results, as well as the team sharing knowledge with us on training days. Tell us a little-known fact about yourself that would surprise other people: I was raised abroad from the age of four in a military family living in some amazing places like Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Meeting the Sultan of Brunei, visiting the Edge of the World and seeing the Tree of Life were some of the highlights. I grew up with air conditioning at home in every room; life without it would have been pretty much impossible out there! I work with wood and resin in my spare time and have been commissioned for projects, including a river table. Crafting at home, I appreciate good quality tools and am an advocate for investing in great calibre equipment.