Young engineers from across South Yorkshire will come together this Saturday to take part in a public speaking event, with the top two participants automatically entered to represent their local area at the regional final next week.
The annual showdown, organised by volunteers from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), has been sponsored this year by recruitment experts Elevation. The event will see some of the region’s most promising young engineers take part in the IMechE’s ‘Speak Out For Engineering’ (SOFE) competition - giving young engineers the opportunity to demonstrate and develop their skills in presentation and public speaking.
Elevation Recruitment, which recruits across a number of specialist areas including manufacturing and engineering and works with local firms including Greencore and Smith & Nephew, said the sponsorship was in line with their commitment to supporting the future generation of engineers.
The competition is open to young mechanical engineers from across the whole of the Yorkshire region, and this weekend sees the Southern Area heat take place at the University of Sheffield Students’ Union. The Eastern Area heat was hosted last Saturday at the Engineering Innovation Institute, University of Hull.
As well as acting as lead sponsor for the competition, John Bohan – a Director at Elevation - will sit as one of the judging panel. John said: “The Yorkshire region is renowned for being at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing, both in terms of technology and development, and training and education.
“At Elevation we recruit for a number of highly specialised roles, and the calibre of candidates that we see is extremely high. The ‘Speak Out For Engineering’ competition provides an excellent opportunity for young engineers to showcase and develop their communication skills, and to really stand out to potential employers.
“We know that, for employers, the importance of a candidate being able to demonstrate strong communication skills cannot be overstated. From making a good first impression at interview, to presenting ideas to a funding board, to representing your company at conferences – developing and refining these core skills is an absolute must.
“We are pleased to be able to support young people across the region through our involvement with SOFE, and very much look forward to hearing from the engineers of tomorrow.”
Steve Wainwright, Chairman of the Yorkshire Region of the IMechE said: “This competition is organised annually by the IMechE’s Young Member volunteer groups and was established 50 years ago to challenge young engineers to prove that they could ‘communicate effectively’. Whichever level or branch of engineering young people may enter, communication skills are becoming ever more important in today’s world.
“At the IMechE we focus a lot of our efforts on developing the next generation of engineering talent, and the SOFE competition provides another great platform to do this within the Yorkshire region. We look forward to sustaining our great engineering heritage by continuing to produce more highly skilled and articulate engineers in the future.”
The winner and runner up from each heat will speak at the Regional Final on Friday 14th March in Cutlers Hall, Sheffield, and will attend the Yorkshire Regional Dinner that evening where they will be presented with their award by the IMechE President, Patrick Kniveton.
