CONTROL & AUTOMATION FUTURE TALENT PIPELINE
FANUC
Fanuc hosts robotics competition to inspire Gen Z engineers
FANUC UK is once again inviting the next generation of robotics engineers to enter the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition . Underlining its commitment to supporting the development of a future talent pipeline for the industry , this year ’ s contest is set to make robotics even more accessible thanks to FANUC ’ s ‘ Education Roadshow ’, which will see the company travel the UK offering hands-on robotics interaction and education to students . A trailblazing industry-education joint initiative , the WorldSkills competition is a win-win for both the students who take part and the automation industry , inspiring young people to consider a career in robotics and equipping them with technical and workplace skills that are much needed by employers .
Entry is open to students aged 16 + in groups of two at www . worldskillsuk . org / competitions / industrial-robotics from 27 February-24 March 2023 .
FANUC will provide training and one-onone support to the teams that make it through the qualifying round , ahead of the National Final in November .
A partnership between employers , education and governments around the world , WorldSkills uses competition-based training , assessment and benchmarking to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education . Industrial Robotics is one of the newest of the 72 WorldSkills competition categories offered in the UK and FANUC UK is both the Industry Partner and Competition Organising Partner ( COP ) for this category .
Training and development are an integral part of the competition and participants will be taught how to programme and operate real-life robots . Working in pairs , entrants will battle it out across two competition stages ( Passive Stage and Qualifying Stage ), completing tasks designed to test the technical and team skills honed during their WorldSkills journey . The top scorers will progress to November ’ s National Finals and the winning team will then have the opportunity to go on to represent the UK in the International Finals .
Training and development are an integral part of the competition and participants will be taught how to programme and operate real-life robots .
Now in its third cycle , the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition has gone from strength to strength . Last year ’ s cycle attracted 16 teams from across the UK , including the first all-female team , and thanks to new features such as the Education Roadshow , FANUC UK is confident that this year ’ s contest will be the most successful yet .
FANUC UK Managing Director Tom Bouchier says : “ Nurturing the next generation of robotics talent is vital to the future of the UK ’ s manufacturing industry , and key to this is forging closer connections between industry and education at the crucial and historically neglected post-GCSE stage . As a company , we are super keen to engage with young people and enthuse them about robotics engineering as a career choice . The WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition is all about making robotics accessible , relevant and appealing to young people , bringing classroom learning to life .”
HOW TO APPLY
Register in teams of two via the WorldSkills website www . worldskillsuk . org / competitions / industrial-robotics from 27 February 2023 . Entries close on 24 March 2023 .
ENTRY CRITERIA
Eligible entrants are 16 + year old students in groups of two . Schools and colleges are encouraged to invite students to register , safe in the knowledge that FANUC will provide training and one on one support to the teams that make it through . There is no limit to the number of teams permitted to enter this competition per organisation .
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