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KMF takes Gold, Silver AND Bronze in sheet metalwork awards

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KMF Precision Sheet Metal Apprentices, Lewis, Ewan and Emma have scooped Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals at the National WorldSkills competition.

The three KMF metal fabrication apprentices took victory in the Sheet Metalwork Technology category of the event, beating off fierce competition from nation-wide sheet metalwork finalists.

Our sweep of awards in the Sheet Metalwork Technology category meant KMF achieved 12th place in the organisation league table, outperforming employers who had over 20 apprentices participating.

WorldSkills UK started with a regional competition in June 2019, where all of KMF's second-year apprentices competed in the manufacture of a wall lantern.

The top ten finalists from across the country then headed to the national competition, which took place at The NEC in Birmingham from 21 – 23 November 2019.

They tasked apprentices to manufacture a stove-style pizza oven. The challenge was to fabricate a sheet metalwork product from engineering drawings in up to 8 hours.

It reflects the role of the modern sheet metal worker and the standards expected within the industry. The final fabricated products were marked on:

  • Development of flat patterns
  • Forming and shaping of sheet metal components
  • Production of mechanical joints and welds
  • Dimensional accuracy of parts and assemblies
  • Surface finishing
  • The overall quality of workmanship and time management


KMF apprentices were mentored through the programme by KMF Apprentice Trainer Matt Page, who competed in WorldSkills himself back in 2013.

Jenny Johnston, Training and Development Manager at KMF commented: "I am unbelievably proud of Lewis, Ewan and Emma for achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze at the National Final of World Skills. Not only did they produce extremely high-quality sheet metalwork, but they also behaved professionally throughout the competition, working hard throughout the regional heats and coping extremely well with the pressure of the national final."

More than 500 apprentices and students competed in over 70 different disciplines at the Skills competition and winners now could represent the UK at the WorldSkills Finals, known as the 'Skills Olympics' in Shanghai in 2021.

KMF Group is one of the UK's leading precision sheet metal fabrication and precision engineering subcontract manufacturers. To deliver high-quality, scalable fabricated products in volume to global OEM's, KMF delivers an award-winning apprentice scheme. Our award-winning in-house training centre offers advanced apprenticeship training to ensure we have the skilled workforce to meet customer demand and changing requirements consistently.

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