Carluke's champion Corrie through to Engineers of Tomorrow

First-year joinery and carpentry apprentices and third-year electronic fire and security systems apprentices took part in contests held at the Motherwell campus.

The competition in electronic fire and security systems involved 35 trainees being asked to install an intruder or a fire alarm to British and European standards in just two hours, and the winner in the fire alarm section was Corrie.

Corrie, an apprentice with Connelly Security Systems in Glasgow, was also named as overall champion.

The top six will now take part in International Fire and Security Conference’s 19th annual search for the engineers of tomorrow, being held in London in June.

Curriculum and quality leader David Scott said: “Competitions like this are good for our apprentices’ experiences.

“Competing makes learning challenging. It motivates apprentices and keeps them enthusiastic.

“We’ve had some students who have really shone in a way that we weren’t expecting.

“By taking part in Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we’re highlighting the benefits of taking on apprentices.”

Apprentices of joinery and carpentry took part in the Construction Industry Training Board first-year apprentice competition, with 16 competitors challenged to make a rectangular frame comprising haunched mortise and tenon joints during the day-long competition.

Runner-up in the under-25s section was Ryan Lawrie, of PDS Construction in Carluke, and he received a £25 voucher.

Danny Shearer, assistant head of faculty, said: “The quality of joinery work I witnessed was of a high standard and is testimony to the hard work that the apprentices themselves, and the joinery lecturing team, have put into their development within their craft since they all started with us back in August.”