Students forge ahead with their research after DMM visit

School learners studying on the BTEC Level 2 General Engineering Course at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor visited DMM in Llanberis recently.

The students, from Ysgol Botwnnog and Ysgol Ardudwy, are looking at various carabiners made by the climbing equipment manufacturer as part of their course at the college’s Hafan campus in Pwllheli.

DMM is a well established local manufacturing company based in the outdoor pursuits hotspot of Llanberis, with more than 40 years of producing climbing and safety equipment for their leisure and professional clients.

The students were welcomed to DMM by engineering quality manager Cemlyn Jones and marketing director Chris Rowlands, who took them on a plant tour.

Engineering lecturer Dylan Griffiths said: “The group are studying various carabiners made by DMM as part of their module, Investigating an Engineering Product.

“They had a thorough and interesting introduction to the company, and their products, and an informative tour showing all the manufacturing processes involved in making a carabiner from design to manufacture, inspection and testing.

“The learners are now back in the classroom applying the knowledge they gained to produce a series of four assignments investigating and reporting on the specification, design, manufacturing and quality aspects of their chosen DMM carabiner.

“We thank Chris, Cemlyn and the team at DMM for making this visit possible, and look forward to returning again early in January with Ysgol Glan y Môr and Eifionydd.”

The engineering department at the Hafan campus has expanded its provision for local schools over the past two years, creating an additional class for the Level 1 Performing Engineering Operations and Level 2 BTEC First Award in Engineering.

For one afternoon each week, the Hafan campus welcomes students from Ysgol Glan y Môr in Pwllheli, Ysgol Eifionydd in Porthmadog, Ysgol Botwnnog and Ysgol Ardudwy in Harlech.

Year 10 study at the Hafan on Wednesday afternoons, following two modules, Investigating an Engineering Product and The Engineering World.

Year 11 students attend the Hafan on Tuesday afternoons for their second-year modules, Engineering Maintenance and Computer-Aided Engineering.

Computer-Aided Engineering is one of the newest and most engaging experiences added to the teaching portfolio. Students use their computer-aided design skills to design and manufacture F1 in Schools race cars, and compete in the North Wales regional competition in February each year.

Engineering lecturer Emlyn Evans, Program Leader for the 14-16 schools provision at Pwllheli, said: “Since I joined the team here at Pwllheli, we have tried to develop the course to enhance our students’ engagement with engineering, allowing them to develop practical skills to complement the theoretical aspects of engineering.

“The F1 in schools competition has definitely allowed us to enhance the engagement of our students to showcase their design, development and teamworking skills.

“The growth of our provision and our participation in F1 in Schools has been a positive step towards preparing our students for the real world of engineering.

“The students who have taken part in the entry class have gone on to the development class when they come to study engineering full-time on the BTEC Level 3 course, and this year our development team from last year are working towards the professional class competition.”

• If you would like to know more about studying General Engineering at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Hafan Campus in Pwllheli, please contact Emlyn Evans via email (evans12e@gllm.ac.uk). The college offers Level 2 and 3 qualifications in General Engineering in Pwllheli and Levels 2, 3 and 4 (HNC) qualifications at its Dolgellau campus.

Want to learn more about the exciting world of engineering with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai? Find out more about our courses here.