Mechanical Apprentices Design an Air Engine at City College Plymouth

City College Plymouth has 16 students from Babcock, Becton Dickinson and Princess Yachts, who are undertaking a key skills project to design and manufacture an air engine.

As part of the Mechanical Advanced Apprenticeship 38 week programme at City College Plymouth, the students' must complete eight units of performing engineering operations and five key skills units.

The students will use previous skills learnt during their performing engineering operations course, such as reading engineering drawings, hand skills and machining to produce an individually designed air engine from a given set of drawings. The engine must be made to a high standard and within a set timescale.

On completion of the project, the students will be judged by representatives from their companies. The winner will be presented with a trophy and entering into a national engineering competition.

Nicholas Dawe, Head of Academy of Engineering at City College Plymouth commented: "This is a very worthwhile project, which allows the students to put their skills into practice, demonstrate their natural engineering creativity and work in a competitive context."