WUT student competes at WorldSkills in Shanghai

WorldSkills is held every two years and tests participants’ vocational skills through practical tasks. The competition is divided into skill categories, in which contestants must demonstrate both knowledge and practical ability. Poland’s team in Shanghai comprised 23 competitors.

In the Mechatronics competition, our student competed alongside Bartłomiej Stefański. Their task was to assemble and commission a Festo MPS station - a modular miniature production line. They then had to program its PLC and HMI operator panel so that the entire system operated as required. The station’s functionality, assembly quality and workstation tidiness were assessed.

During the task, our student was mainly responsible for programming, while Bartłomiej focused on assembling the station. The division of responsibilities still required close cooperation: when necessary, Jakub also helped with assembly, as he could not begin programming until the equipment was ready.

"The greatest challenge was the limited time. We dealt with it by dividing the tasks so that we did not duplicate work. We also focused on the parts of the competition worth the most points," explains Jakub Słupczewski.

Poland’s WorldSkills team

Jakub qualified for the event by taking first place in the national WorldSkills Poland competition in Gdańsk. Over several months of preparation, he practised timed assembly at Festo, working on actual equipment. He also trained independently using loaned controllers, practising programming and communication between devices.

"Representing my country on the international stage was certainly an incredible experience," emphasises Jakub Słupczewski.

Taking part in the competition enabled him to expand his knowledge and skills in programming Siemens PLCs and configuring smart sensors and motor controllers. He also gained experience in organising work and solving problems quickly.