West Midlands bus and coach mechanic wins top industry award

Winner announced at Jaguar Experience in Birmingham on 7 September

West Midlands bus and coach mechanic wins top industry award
Photo: National Express West Midlands

A mechanical technician from the West Midlands has been named Best Mechanic Engineer at the IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) Skills Challenge awards ceremony.

Pawel Dudziec, who works for National Express West Midlands at the West Bromwich depot, secured top spot at the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE) annual competition, which aims to identify the engineering stars working in the bus and coach sectors.

The 27-year-old mechanic had to complete several tasks, including a DVSA inspection and faulty categorisation, setting valve clearances, disassembling a cylinder head piston, inspecting for damage, reassembling to correct specifications, inspection of tyres, and a multiple choice exam.

Pawel said: “It feels great to win, one of the best feelings. Being a very young engineer I’m always keen to learn new skills and still have a long career ahead of myself. I would like to thank my team and mentors who helped me achieve the level of skills to win this award.”

Craig Perkins, engineering apprenticeship manager at National Express, added: “I couldn’t be prouder of Pawel, Luke, Chris, Tom and Jasmin [the other National Express West Midlands entrants]. Having taken part and won the Mechanical Technician category myself a couple of years ago, I know how tough it is. I’m over the moon for Pawel winning the top Mechanical Engineer – it’s very well deserved.

“The IRTE Skills Challenge shows the level required to be at the top of your trade. Apprentices can see areas that they may need to develop, and for experienced engineers it gets you thinking and working on things you may not have seen for some time. 

“Being in the competition with people from different companies allows us to discuss different ways of working, share our knowledge and ideas, helping us to improve as people and help the companies we work for evolve and grow in the way they operate.”

Source: National Express West Midlands

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