We were delighted to recently host one of six regional hubs for the WorldSkills UK Industrial Electronics National Qualifiers, here at the University of Sheffield. Held in our Electronics and Control Lab within the Diamond building, the event welcomed 18 students from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Greater Manchester region to compete in the prestigious national skills competition.
Following on from the event itself, two of our second-year students, Kirsty Tan and Jasper Baker, have progressed to the national finals, taking place in Wales from 16 - 20 November 2026. We wish them both the best of luck.
The event, which formed part of a nationwide programme, saw over 100 students from universities and colleges across the UK compete at six regional venues during May and June 2026. The qualifiers provide participants with an opportunity to benchmark their skills against national standards and demonstrate their technical capabilities in a highly challenging and competitive environment.
Throughout the day, competitors completed a range of demanding tasks designed to assess both theoretical knowledge and practical engineering skills. These included:
- Circuit design and analysis of a basic synthesiser using LTSpice and Autodesk Fusion
- Printed circuit board (PCB) design
- Fault-finding and correction on an Arduino Uno circuit board
- PCB soldering and assembly of a three-stage audio amplifier
- Industrial electronics theory assessment
- Embedded systems programming.
Our students from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm, professionalism and resilience throughout the competition, where they worked under significant time pressure and showed the determination required of future engineering professionals. Students who took part were: Jasper Baker, Evelyn Paton, Kirsty Tan, Yang Yuwei, Dexi Li, Said Khalfan SS Al Riyami, Isobel Haynes, Shuo T Xiao, Christopher Mok, Sarah Ali, Isaac Allen, Tanvi Kumar and Dharma Casana Durand.
Kirsty Tan, who has since made it to the national finals, said, “ WorldSkills has been a valuable developmental experience, allowing me to strengthen my practical skills in soldering, fault-finding, and PCB design. I first joined WorldSkills in my first year, and I returned for the competition in my second year, and the progression between the two competitions gave me a clear sense of how much I had improved. Through the competition tasks, I developed a strong awareness of best practices in both PCB assembly and design, while also gaining the ability to work precisely under time pressure. I would strongly encourage any first-year student to take part, it is an excellent way to build skills that go beyond the technical skills. The experience sharpens your time management and attention to detail, both of which are qualities that employers actively look for during placement applications and graduate job hunting.”
Dr Raja Toqeer, Senior University Teacher at the University of Sheffield, who hosted the competition, said:
"WorldSkills industrial electronics competitions provide an excellent platform for students to challenge themselves, apply their learning in a realistic environment, and benchmark their electronics skills against some of the best emerging engineering talent in the country. We are proud of every student who took part and represented the University with such professionalism and enthusiasm. I would also like to pass on my thanks to Steve Williams, the national lead for Industrial Electronics at WorldSkills UK, and our outstanding technical support team in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering."
WorldSkills UK is part of a global skills movement involving more than 80 countries. Founded in 1946, it has championed excellence in technical and vocational education through world-class competitions, training programmes and skills development initiatives. Its Industrial Electronics competition is one of many disciplines that enable students and apprentices to demonstrate their capabilities against internationally recognised standards. Participation provides invaluable experience and helps prepare competitors for careers in areas such as electronics engineering, semiconductor technologies, embedded systems, automation and chip design.