Winning an engineering competition proved just the job for Gower College Swansea student Stefano Amoruso when one of the judges offered him an apprenticeship.
Stefano won the recent WorldSkills UK Industrial Electronics regional final at the Tycoch campus and will now go on to compete at the Skills Show at Birmingham’s NEC in November. There is also the potential of a place at the WorldSkills International finals in Abu Dhabi in 2017 in the pipeline.
But the biggest reward for his efforts came when judge David O’Keeffe, Operations Director of Trojan Electronics, offered him an 18 month apprenticeship as a SMT machine operator, which he starts this month.
Stefano, 18, of St Thomas, Swansea, who is studying for his Level 3 Diploma in Engineering said: “I am over the moon to be offered an apprenticeship. I was very happy to win the regional heat and potentially representing Wales at WorldSkills International but to be offered an apprenticeship as well was fantastic.”
Stefano has been a student at Gower College Swansea for four years, having completed his GCSEs and a number of engineering-related qualifications.
During the WorldSkills UK regional final he was tasked with building an electronic compass, building a circuit on a breadboard and completing a written exam.
Steve Williams, Curriculum Leader for Digital Technology at Gower College Swansea, said: “Stefano is an extremely gifted student so it comes as no surprise to his teaching team that he’s been offered an apprenticeship with Trojan Electronics. The skills and maturity that Stefano has demonstrated throughout the competition process have been noted by us all, and we are delighted for him that he has now been given the opportunity to transfer those skills from the college environment into the workplace. We wish him all the best. ”
Established in 2002, Trojan Electronics has become Europe’s largest services group in providing repair and refurbishment, multichannel Ecommerce and sub contract electronic manufacturing. It focuses on maximising asset recovery, minimising landfill requirements and reducing the costs customers pay for the quality services they require.
Mr O’Keeffe, who was judging the WorldSkills UK competition for the first time, said: “Stefano was far and away the best candidate. He completed the practical, had obviously prepared well and showed a great work rate and attitude which is why I decided to offer him a job.”
Semta, the not-for-profit organisation which is engineering skills for the future, organises and runs 13 engineering competitions for WorldSkills UK.
Chief Executive Ann Watson said: “Competing in WorldSkills is a great way for young engineers to grow in confidence and showcase their potential to current and future employers. I am delighted to see Stefano gain employment as a direct result of the competition and wish him well in his career and the national WorldSkills final.”
Stefano, whose ambition is to eventually own his own business, said: “I would like to thank Steve for putting me forward for the competition and Trojan for giving me a chance.
“What interests me in engineering is all the technical information and practical skills I am learning. The apprenticeship at Trojan is a great opportunity for me to advance my career. I would say to other young people – engineering is such a big sector that there are many opportunities for jobs and a long-term career.”
For more information on WorldSkills UK Engineering Competitions or interested in an apprenticeship please visit www.semta.org.uk
PR: Robertson Media Ltd
Photo: Stefano is pictured (centre) with his fellow Digital Technology students.