Dubai Men's College compete in 39th World Skills Competition

This is an internationally acclaimed biennial skills competition where young professionals compete for world championships in more than 45 skills categories across the industrial trades and service sectors. This year, more than 47 member countries/ regions tested themselves against tough international standards, with more than 800 competitors completing very specific tasks spanning over 22 hours of work.

Faisal Abdulaziz Mohamed, Atiq Al Janahi, Mohammad Al Shamsi and Saud Arjomand all from DMC's Engineering Department, competed successfully in two skills areas, representing the UAE in the Mobile Robotics and Mechatronics areas.

Competition was strong with teams working over a period of four consecutive days and having to meet eight given tasks to very tight standards and assessment criterion. The Mobile Robotics team faced challengers from across ten leading countries such as Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Their design and installation of "Robotino" demonstrated use of electrical drive technology, sensors, control technology, image processing and programming techniques.

The Mechatronics team were tested in their design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of software-driven and electronic controlled equipment using a FESTO Modular Production System. At the end of the examination, and competing against twenty six countries, the DMC team had successfully built, tested and commissioned a complete production line comprising a robot, sorting, turn-over and measuring stations. In such a design Siemens S7-200 Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and Ladder programs were utilized.

All students worked hard as teams not only utilizing their professional engineering skills, but also their critical thinking and problem solving talents, working together to achieve success at this international competition. Representing DMC and their country, their efforts received deserved recognition from competition judges. This competition provided excellent opportunity for our students to compete at an international level - their designs testament to their engineering skills proficiency.

Students were accompanied by their DMC instructors, Dr Basim Al Lami and Mr. Amjed Majeed from DMC's Engineering Department. Both instructors have been asked to return as "Deputy Chief Experts" in Mechatronics and Mobile Robotics for the next World Skills Competition which will be held in Calgary in 2009.