A former Burnley College Student has won a prized place in the national finals of one of the most prestigious skills competitions in education and training.
Lucas Haslam, from Accrington, completed his Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Vocational Qualification at Burnley College Sixth Form Centre earlier this year. He is now reading BSc (Hons) Mechanical Engineering at UCLAN.
During Lucas’s time at Burnley College he entered WorldSkills, the annual international competition which promotes technical education and aims to find the world leaders in their chosen sectors.
Lucas is competing in the Mechanical Engineering: CAD (Computer Aided Design) finals in Manchester in November. If he wins, he will represent Great Britain in the International Competition at a later date.
Lucas had a choice between competing in CAD or Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) after succeeding in both regional finals. However, rules only permit him to progress in one area.
He chose to compete in the CAD, saying:
It better fits my interests as I’ve always preferred the design side of engineering to the practical side and have picked up CAD skills quite easily.
– Lucas Haslam, Burnley College Alumni
With more than 80 countries competing across fields as diverse as Digital Media Production to Plumbing, Accountancy to Mechatronics, the finalists in WorldSkills represent the best of the best across the UK in a wide variety of essential industry skills.
Lucas is proud to be in with a chance to represent his country and says:
“It feels incredible to make it this far. Last year I didn’t quite reach this stage so I’m really pleased to have made it through this time.
“I’ve been practising daily to prepare and feel my skills have grown a great deal. WorldSkills is also kind enough to offer additional lessons.”
I’d like to thank my Tutors at Burnley College who have been very helpful and supportive throughout my journey.
– Lucas Haslam, Burnley College Alumni
Plessey Black, Curriculum Manager for Engineering at Burnley College, says she is not surprised Lucas has made it this far in the tough competition:
“Lucas has gone from strength to strength honing his CAD skills, grabbing opportunities, expanding his knowledge by attending extra-curricular sessions and participating in events facilitated by AutoDesk, one of the leading CAD software publishers.
“He has a natural ability operating CAD software and I know he will give the other competitors in the WorldSkills National final a run for their money.
“Next stop the World Finals!”
Burnley College has an impressive history in WorldSkills with Themis Apprentice Tyler Atkinson representing GB in the Construction Metalwork (Welding) finals in Russia, in 2019, with fellow Themis Apprentice Kieran McShane following in his footsteps in the USA.
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