Blackpool and The Fylde College teacher wins national competition run by Department for Education & McLaren

Sreekutty Polachirayil Chandrababu, an electronics and electrical engineering FE teacher at Blackpool and The Fylde College has taken the top spot on the podium, winning the national Skills Drive competition.

Sreekutty, joined by engineering students Jack Mason, Logan Bennett and Thomas Walton, were crowned Skills Drive winners after competing in an exciting challenge at The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.

What is the Skills Drive competition?

The Skills Drive competition aims to fuel a passion among industry professionals to teach in further education, share their skills, and accelerate the next generation of talent. FE is any formal learning for those aged 16+ that is not a degree.

The competition showcases FE teachers’ vital role in sharing their valuable real world industry experience to inspire other industry professionals to consider teaching in FE.

Industry professionals' experience and skills are highly valued in FE as by passing on their knowledge to future talent, professionals can help shape the future of their sector’s workforce, ensuring a strong workforce for tomorrow.

Sreekutty and her team competed against teams from Basingstoke College of Technology and Norwich City College in a final challenge which included tasks imitating processes from the McLaren Production Centre.

After much deliberating by the McLaren engineer judges, the Blackpool and The Fylde College team claimed their prize of an exclusive experience in McLaren’s pioneering esports racing simulator facility, the McLaren Shadow Studio.

What was said about the Blackpool and The Fylde College team victory?

Sreekutty Chandrababu said: “We are thrilled to be crowned the Skills Drive winners and I’m incredibly proud of my students and how we worked together as a team in the final. They embodied the principles of technical excellence, innovation, and practical application that I strive to instil through my teaching.

“Taking part in the day has created a lasting legacy within our college and inspired the students to pursue their dream careers in industry. It's so important that learners aspiring to enter the industry are exposed to real world experience and industry professionals can play a vital role in sharing their experience with students by teaching in FE colleges. I’ve really enjoyed passing my skills on in this way and would encourage others to do the same.”

Sreekutty’s student, Logan Bennett, aged 17 is studying Level 3 Extended Diploma Aeronautical Engineering, he said, “Participating in the Skills Drive final has been an incredible experience. Working alongside my team and our teacher, we were able to apply our knowledge and skills from our course in a real-world setting. We are all so excited to have won, and experiencing McLaren's pioneering esports racing simulator Shadow was a brilliant prize and great way to end the day.”

Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive said: “McLaren congratulates the winners from Blackpool and the Fylde College and our runners up in the Skills Drive challenge. We hope that all our finalists have found their experience at MTC both fun and memorable, but also an experience that has inspired them to think about a future in automotive engineering. I would like to thank all those further education teachers who entered this year’s competition. Your drive to create the next generation of automotive talent is vital to the future of our exciting industry.”

Minister for Skills, Jacqui Smith said: “Many congratulations to Sreekutty and her student team for winning the Skills Drive final. All finalists demonstrated their skill and knowledge while competing in the final challenges, showcasing the brilliant job FE teachers do to prepare their students to enter the workforce.

“Skills matter to this country, and to this government. They are key to achieving our mission to spread opportunity by raising workers’ skills and earning power.

“We need industry professionals to help support the pipeline of talent for the sector, by sharing their knowledge through teaching in FE. Whether it’s engineering, automotive, or any other industry - whatever your skills and experience, there’s likely a course in FE to match them.”

Industry professionals' experience and skills are highly valued in FE. With part-time contracts available FE teachers can teach alongside their existing job. You don’t always need prior teaching qualifications or an academic degree to start teaching in further education. You can complete teacher training on the job, meaning you can begin earning straight away.

If you’re an industry professional interested in sharing your skills and experience with the next generation via FE teaching, visit teachinfurthereducation.education.gov.uk to find out more.