LEADING North East garage equipment supplier Gott Technical Services is teaming up with Gateshead College for the second year in a row to challenge the region’s automotive students.
Last year, director of the Morpeth-based company Ian Gott met with students to set them the task of designing a new tool or item of clothing for use in the workshop to make the lives of technicians easier.
The results were impressive with winners Orin Rowe and Sean Patton, both 18 at the time, awarded first place for their ‘Magni-mate’ design – a magnetic holder to prevent tools being lost in the workshop.
This year, the concept has been replicated with students being asked to pair up to develop a novel idea for a tool, protective clothing or a workshop invention of any kind – all with the end goal of acting as a solution for those in the automotive industry.
The winners will get the chance to take on work experience within a garage environment or an engineering role depending on their course, and will receive Halfords’ vouchers along with the second and third place entrants.
Ian Gott said: “I’m a strong believer of nurturing talent from education stage in order to inspire them to pursue a career in the industry.
“This brief really gets them thinking about how the commercial workshop operates and how they themselves can have an impact on productivity, which then results in profitability. It’s a rewarding experience to see the students investing their time in something that they can put their stamp on from the beginning and I’m looking forward to seeing their work.”
The brief is open to a wide number of students of different ages and disciplines across IMI Motor Vehicle, Engineering and Welding & Fabrication courses, all delivered from the College’s dedicated Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics Academy. In February, the entries will be collated and passed to the Gott Technical Services team to judge the winners and runners up.
Gavin Batie, automotive manager at Gateshead College, said: “Our courses give students first-hand experience and skills that are relevant to their chosen career. Competitions like this are a great example of how we partner with employers to ensure our students leave us equipped with not only a qualification, but also with industry contacts, confidence in their abilities and lots of practical examples – so they can clearly demonstrate how employable they are and stand out from other applicants.”