Apprenticeship Wins at Auto Light Vehicle Intercampus Competition

Five apprentices from South Eastern Regional College’s (SERC) Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards Campuses have put their skills to the test at the annual Auto Light Vehicle Intercampus Competition, hosted at SERC’s Newtownards Campus.

The apprentices are currently completing the Level 3 Apprenticeship NI in Vehicle Maintenance & Repair (Light Vehicle) and employed in industry four days per week.

The apprentices were tested on five key technical skills that any mechanic must master to succeed, including brake checking, engine management, electrical faults, engine measurement and MOT preparation.

The standard of the apprentices’ skills was extremely high and in the end Jack Stewart, 24, from Newtownards and Calum O'Neill, 20, from Portaferry were declared joint winners with Ethan McGurnaghan, 21, from Lisburn taking third place.

Marc Foster, Motor Vehicle Technician said, “The apprentices were tested on areas they would all be very familiar with as part of their everyday jobs and the very high standard on display was a reflection of the skills and experience all the competitors have gained through their apprenticeship to date. It was a tight competition, and all participants are to be commended.”     

He continued “The winners will now go on to represent SERC at the Intercollege Competition on 27 February which will be hosted at SERC’s Newtownards Campus where they will compete against fellow apprentices from other colleges to see who is the very best in NI.”