Ten Middlesex students to compete at WorldSkills UK finals in South Wales

MDX fields more teams than ever before at Britain's premier technical skills development event

Ten Middlesex University students have reached the WorldSkills UK national competition finals, in four categories: Automation, Mechatronics, Industry 4.0 and Cybersecurity.

In addition, 2024 MDX graduate Gabija Gailunaite, who now works for BPTW Architects, has been picked for the Digital Construction competition.

Mechatronics finalist Omar Maaouane Veiga, who has just graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics and Robotics, won Gold in the WorldSkills UK Automation finals in Manchester just nine months ago. In 2023, his competition partner Tamunormiete Manuel competed in the Automation finals.

Middlesex is fielding teams in more WorldSkills UK disciplines than ever before. The University has a long-standing partnership with WorldSkills UK, with Head of Design Engineering and Mathematics Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu devising the Automation and Mechatronics competitions each year.

Two MDX alumni, Marcin Regulski and Calum Knott (pictured below, with a cyber factory competition set-up), are Team UK experts in WorldSkills International competitions.

This year’s national finals are being held at further education colleges and university campuses across South Wales. Some 417 finalists are taking part in 47 different events, whittled down from nearly 7,900 young people who registered to compete at regional level.

Medal-winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the International Convention Centre in Newport on 28^th November, with the champions having a chance to represent the UK at the next-but-one WorldSkills international finals in Aichi, Japan in 2028.

The next WorldSkills International events are EuroSkills for UK and EU teams, hosted at MCH Messecenter Herning this September, followed by the biennial WorldSkills finals in Shanghai in September 2026.

Professor Mehmet Karamanoglu (pictured above, third from left, with WorldSkills UK finalists Carlos Ariel Huallpa Fernandez, second from left, and Naveen Gunasekaran, second from right) said: "It is always great to see our students entering competitions. I am delighted that so many of our students have earned a place in the Automation, Mechatronics, Industry 4.0 and Cyber Security national finals.

“Our alumni continue to challenge themselves even after they leave us and go into industry, raising their technical skills and aiming for excellence. I am full of admiration for our young people and wish them all the best in the UK Finals.”

 

 “We're thrilled to have made it to the finals once again. The battle is won but the war is not over - we need to double our efforts and come even more prepared.

“We’re immensely proud to represent Middlesex University. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase our skills on a national stage, and we’re determined to make the most of it.”

Mechatronics finalist Omar Maaouane Veiga

WorldSkills UK competitions support young people in developing high-quality technical skills, while helping employers grow through access to world-class talent. Both Automation and Mechatronics competitions are fully sponsored by industry partners Festo (cyberfactory competition set-up at their Northampton site pictured below, being examined by MDX's Calum Knott), Omron and Amazon.

Ben Blackledge, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said: “Congratulations to this year’s WorldSkills UK national finalists. Our competitions test learners’ skills against global industry standards. With employers all over the UK crying out for high-quality skills, this is a fantastic opportunity for hundreds of learners to show they are ready to work.”

The Middlesex students taking part in the 2025 WorldSkills UK finals are - Myu Shin, Oluwatunmise Shuaibu, Mohamed Badr and Samuel Ayesigwa (Automation); Carlos Ariel Huallpa Fernandez and Naveen Gunasekaran (Industry 4.0 - pictured in group photo above); Priyansh Gupta, Nifesh Chakubaji (Cybersecurity) and Omar Maaouane Veiga and Tamunormiete Manuel (Mechatronics).

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