Article summary: Our second BTEC Project Day saw Mechanical and Electrical apprentices showcase innovative final projects to peers, staff and employers, highlighting their skills, creativity and real workplace impact.
On Wednesday 24th September we held our second BTEC Project Day, this time with our Mechanical and Electrical apprentice learners, who showcased their final projects to peers, staff and employers.
The day was a fantastic opportunity for learners to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and innovative thinking they’ve developed during their apprenticeships. From practical engineering solutions to creative approaches tackling real workplace challenges.
We’re incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication on display. Projects explored ways to enhance safety, increase efficiency and support more sustainable operations, reflecting the real impact apprentices can have within their organisations.
Hear from the apprentices below about their projects and the difference they could make within their organisations -
Ralitsa Raykova| Tangmere Airfield Nurseries | Film Trolley Project
"The goal of my project is to reduce manual handling. We currently do a lot of bending and lifting and the trolley reduces this and saves on space"
Jack Gray | CooperVision | Enhancing Staubli TS2-80 Lifespan
"The benefits are that it's saving over £6 million pounds over 6 robots on 3 machines over the next 10 years.
The deigned custom clamp fits bellows, to enhance the life, reduce downtime and reduce pressure on the maintenance department."
Oliver Micallef | Beacon Design & Engineering | Cutting Table Project
"My project was built to help speed up production by reducing cutting time on the chop saw. This was achieved by improving the stability of the saw and adding a measuring system to eliminate the need to measure individual parts. Time was massively reduced and the waste."
Ewan Jones | Huhtamaki | Compressed Air Upgrade
"The idea of my project is to reduce compressed air waste by a minimum of 20% in order to maximise profits within my company. I'm doing this by programming a solenoid valve to automatically shut off air supply when a machine stops running."
Jack Peters | Knowlton & Newman | Chain Block Attachment
"My project is an attachment for a chain block to help reduce the time to lift and lower a mechanical plant. It will also help reduce operator fatigue.
This will be beneficial for myself and other engineering companies in the same sector."
Matilda Tucker | Parker Meggitt | Moving Coil Process Master
"I have updated the moving coil assembly instructions to implement LEAN principles and reduce the cost of the moving coil assembly process.
My project is beneficial to the company because it reduces the cost per unit per annum by >10%. It also reduces the reliance on skilled operators to provide training which allows the company to make use of the skilled operators on other jobs.
My document also maintains and improves assembly consistency across different operators."
Finlay Phelps | CooperVision | Data Logger Project
"My project will identify electrical faults on autoclave, present findings in easy to read graphs, it's easy to set up to any machine, you're able to change system design for different circuits, ability to diagnose and confirm diagnosis easier and you're able to save time for the engineers"
Joe Doncom | Eaton | Retaining Filter Slide and Swivel Ball Punch
"The project I am proposing is a slide and swivel ball punch for the retaining filters on these military components.
This part is crucial and beneficial for the company as it eliminates the amount of scrap and non-conforming items that can occur from using improper tooling.
The tooling is important to make sure the filters can be assembled correctly and efficiently for the slide and swivels."
Finn Denny | Prysmian Group | Vacuum System Filter Integration
"Water ingress into pumps was damaging seals and reducing pumps efficiency.
By adding a filter it will remove excess water and prolong pump life and improve process time"
Brandon Adams | Parker Meggitt | Universal Alignment Tool for Spot-Welder Electrodes
"Tolerances on spot-welders were creating failures. I created an independent tooling to align the electrodes despite the tolerances. This can save up to £1,260.28 on one batch, improving time efficiency and reducing skill requirement"
Matt Fox | Sirius Insight | Electrical Component Cooling
“My project tackles the challenge of overheating control units operating in harsh, hot, and tropical coastal environments. By applying reliable and proven technology, I developed a compact cooling system capable of maintaining electrical components below ambient temperature. This improvement enhances component lifespan, reduces failure rates, and most importantly, helps ensure uninterrupted service for our customers.”
It was also a wonderful way to celebrate the learners as they move into the final stage of their apprenticeship journeys. Well done to everyone who took part!
See below the projects:
