Institution news
Open to teams of apprentices from companies and universities around the world, we caught up with some of the competitors from last year's competition and why they enjoyed competing in the Apprentice Automation Challenge and what they got from taking part.
"I chose to take part in the challenge because I really enjoyed it last year and I wanted to push myself even further and become team leader of this challenge. Taking part has enabled me to gain many skills, including communication, teamwork, project leading, and even some of the technical skills like coding and designing."
Paigan Huish, Apprentice at Niftylift, 2025 winners
"Taking part in the IMechE Apprentice Automation Challenge was an amazing and memorable experience. The event was brilliantly organised, with access to outstanding facilities and an insightful workshop tour that gave us a real behind-the-scenes view of engineering in action. One of the highlights was meeting and networking with apprentices from other companies—we shared ideas, learned from each other, and built industry connections that will last well into our careers. I would highly recommend the Apprentice Automation Challenge to any apprentice looking to develop their engineering skills, gain exposure to cutting-edge environments, and be inspired by peers from across the industry."
Jamie Brogan, Apprentice at Thales
The challenge as a whole is a great extra-curricular activity to run alongside normal studies which perfectly encompasses the engineering product lifecycle. You get to see the concept, design, manufacture and marketing phases, and the independence I gained plus the exposure into new areas of engineering I had no experience in both threw me in the deep end but gave me the tools to succeed."
Oliver Lennox-Warburton, Apprentice at ITP Aero UK
Registration for teams is open now until 13 March 2026; simply gather your team, download the rules, and complete the registration form to be a part of this exciting engineering competition!