Cumbrian apprentices battled it out to win the 2026 National Apprenticeship Week challenge.
Gen2, a City and Guilds Training business specialising in the Engineering, Nuclear and Manufacturing sectors, hosted the annual challenge on Friday, February 13.
The event brought together apprentices from across Cumbria for a day of innovation, teamwork and industry-inspired competition.
Challenges included everything from engineering showcase sculptures to designing multifunctional robots for Robot Wars.
Destiny Hanlon, Engineering Step in2 apprentice at Gen2, said: "The challenges were fun, interactive and gave us a chance to be noticed by local employers.
"They put us out of our comfort zone, which is good because we've learnt new skills we didn't have originally."
The event saw participation from apprentices at all three Gen2 centres and formed a core part of the National Apprenticeship Week celebrations, showcasing the skills, knowledge and behaviours developed through work-based learning.
Nearly 400 people attended, including staff, apprentices and more than 65 external guests.
Visitors included students from St Benedict’s School and Netherhall School, who joined to learn more about apprenticeship routes and career opportunities within industry.
The event was supported by employer partners including Cavaghan & Gray, Futamura Chemical UK Limited, James Walker & Co Ltd, FORTH Engineering, DWP, Leo Group, and Energy Coast UTC.
Cameron Fisher, Challenge Judge at MSPORT, said: "Its great to try and attract new people to apprenticeships and its been a very insightful day. Some of the work created in such a short space of time shows how much time and effort they put into this."
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