Double win for Ellie

Ellie, 18, competed in the regional heats for WorldSkills UK Engineering Construction Metalwork at Hartlepool Further College of Education just two days after learning she can start work with Teesside-based engineering company Wilton Engineering Services later this month. She is already a winner having secured employment on a four year apprenticeship after studying welding and fabrication at Hartlepool. Ellie was nominated to compete in the Construction Metalwork category of the WorldSkills UK - one of 13 engineering competitions run by Semta, which is responsible for engineering skills for the future. She was competing against six boys, with the task to construct and fabricate the base of a crane. She will find out in July whether she has won through to the national final that will be held at the Skills Show in Birmingham and a medal there could see her selected for the UK squad for the World Skills finals in Abu Dhabi in 2017. The Skills Show, the nation's largest skills and careers event, is helping to shape the future of a new generation. Attracting over 75,000 visitors, the show provides hands-on experiences that inspire young people to explore further education, skills and Apprenticeships. The Skills Show is now part of Find a Future, an organisation which brings together the nation's flagship skills and careers experiences and will be held at the Birmingham's NEC in November. Ellie said: "I was first attracted to engineering by the whole hands-on side of things. I like the way you can construct something, fabricate it and see everything come together rather than just looking and wondering. "My ultimate ambition is to qualify as a welder or plater and I would like to go offshore to different countries."