A team representing the UK’s finest young robotics talent, and supported by factory automation specialist FANUC UK, has been honoured at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, known as the ‘skills Olympics’.

Jason Scott and Charlie Carson, both from Northern Ireland, were awarded the Medallion for Excellence in the category of Robot Systems Integration, in which they competed against teams from 18 different countries. The duo attended Northern Regional College and Jason now works at AES Global while Charlie attends the University of Ulster. They began their WorldSkills journey back in 2022, competing against teams from across the UK in a series of robot challenges set by FANUC and ably supported by representatives from the automation company. After being selected by WorldSkills to represent the UK in the international finals in Lyon, the pair were delighted to be recognised by the judging panel for their hard work and talent, with teams from China and Korea jointly named as the overall winners.

Over 1,500 young people from 69 countries competed over four days of tough competition in 62 different skills at WorldSkills Lyon, which was watched by over 250,000 spectators. 

FANUC UK is now turning its attention to supporting the next crop of young robotics enthusiasts. The final of the 2024 WorldSkills UK Robot Systems Integration competition will take place at the FANUC UK Open House event in Coventry on 12-14 November 2024, where the country’s most talented teams will battle it out in a series of automation challenges set by FANUC’s in-house robotics experts. Winners will have the chance to represent Team UK at the next WorldSkills competition, which takes place in 2026 in Shanghai, China.

“Encouraging, supporting and championing the next generation of robotics engineers is something we are extremely passionate about,” says FANUC UK Managing Director, Tom Bouchier. “Each year we are blown away by the level of talent and enthusiasm shown by the WorldSkills UK competitors and this year is no exception. Seeing the success that Jason and Charlie have enjoyed in Lyon will only serve to inspire these young people even further, and I can’t wait to see what they achieve in November.”

Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK adds: “High quality skills development is crucial to growing the economy, and Team UK’s medal-winning performance in front of a global audience sends a strong message that the UK is a world-class place to invest, develop talent and create jobs.”

To register for the FANUC UK Open House 2024 (Ansty Park Coventry, 12-14 Nov), go to www.ukopenhouse.fanuc.eu

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