Article summary: Practical skills and innovative thinking were on show as PETA BTEC learners presented their final projects at our recent Project Day.
Our Engineering BTEC Project Day took place yesterday, where a group of Engineering BTEC learners showcased their final projects to fellow apprentices, staff and employers. This event is a chance for learners to showcase their project work, demonstrate practical skills, and present solutions to real-world challenges
We’re really proud of the effort and creativity on display, these projects explored ways to improve safety, reduce costs and support more sustainable ways of working.
The day was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the learners before they move into the final stage of their apprenticeship. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Here below from the apprentices about their projects and how these have benefited their organisations:
Iain Giles | Huhtamaki| Programming & Fault-Finding Aid
"My idea came to me when I first joined the electrical engineering department… I soon realised I had next to no idea when PLC issues arose. So I came up with a programming teaching aid, where apprentices can learn in a safe, controlled environment away from live systems.
The aid is a one-time cost, saving the company thousands from sending technicians away on courses.
It can also be used to test/learn how to find faults within the code, these fault finding skills will transfer into the work environment, making a more well-rounded team of technicians"
Jack Murison | Nature's Way Foods | Low Care & High Care Drains Project
"My project is a generalised improvement to my company's drainage system at the factory. It will improve food waste standards and the site quality by removing product excess through the drains. It will also tackle the issue of the pumps burning out when used under duress, by implementing a safety panel that will have electrical protection for the pumps and circuit in the form of MCBs"
Oscar Cast | Huhtamaki | Electrical Distribution System Upgrade
"The project is beneficial to the company as it hugely improves the safety of the electrical systems and it improves future maintenance activities. It also makes the factory more energy efficient, making it a more environmentally friendly process."
Marcin Bala | CooperVision | Steel Conveyor Placement and Pick-Up Improvement
"I have created an additional station to align with a product on the transport conveyor. Bad position of product causes losses of around 71,000 pieces per year and my station reduces that amount by around 80% (initial tests) after applying cost per unit, this station saves my company around £14,000 per year."
Jack Guest | Relay Engineering | Redesign of LPSW/WAC Testing Rig
"This benefits the company through having one set up rig for work rather than 4 individual test rigs which have interconnection issues."
Joaquin Azcueta | Sirius Insight | Compute & Sensor Test-Bench
"This project was initiated as a way of addressing the issues and limitations associated with our current testing process.
We needed an indoor and modular testing area that allows us to quickly connect and test our cameras, as well as our outdoor sensors (Radar, AIS, ADSB). Having access to quick-release mounts and pre-terminated cables drastically cuts down the number of steps in our testing process, leading to a more reliable and efficient process."
Michael Cook | SES Controls | Heating/HW Control System Upgrade
"This benefits the company as the work is for a council owned building. They will see the benefits of a hybrid solution and will want this implemented in other buildings."
Liam McGowan | SAAB | Production Support Stand
"The stand helps production by reducing the chance of damage and improves production efficiency. It lowers the chance of damage during assembly, it improves production ergonomics and increases production speed."
Alex Pullin | P&I Generators | Electrical Interlock
"My project is an electrical interlock between mains and generator breakers. It is a safety mechanism which ensures both sources cannot be closed onto each other, causing harm to the engineer, equipment or back feed. It is beneficial to my company as we do a lot of work on old paralleling systems with no electrical interlocks."
Edward Pearce| Huhtamaki | Solar Overhaul Project
"Our company Huhtamaki aims to be the number one choice in sustainable packaging. We spend over £2 million a year on electricity mainly used to power the heaters for our machines.
By installing 3,368 solar panels I want to cut down costs and Co2 emissions to make us more environmentally friendly and help us lower our running costs."
Justinas Svirskys | Nature's Way Foods | Level 3 Washer Chiller Control System Improvement
"My project helped to support the production line's efficiency and product quality. The new washer chiller control system will allow better temperature regulation for optimal washing processes - (it will ensure consistency of washing temperature). It will allow better maintainability of the chilled water system. The new reliable system will minimise production interruptions."
We have a second BTEC Project Day scheduled for the 25th September, watch this space to hear all about the projects created as part of that programme of learners.
See below the projects:
