Three apprentices at a Shipley engineering firm have been celebrating their performance at a skills competition where they gained fourth place in a world-wide contest.

The engineers battled their way onto the UK team at Workskills – known as the Skills Olympics.

Competitors in the 2013 Workskills final in Leipzig, Germany, were the cream of entrants from 67 countries.

Andrew Maguire, 22, of Bingley Daniel Gebhard 21, of Bradford and George Moffat, 21, of Skipton, who work at Carnaud Metalbox Engineering, received medals for excellence after their success at WorldSkills International final.

They competed in national challenges over 18 months to clinch a place on the UK team at the world final. The 30-strong team was given a send off by parliamentary apprenticeship ambassador, Ilkley-born MP Andrew Jones, at a reception at 10 Downing Street.

The engineers, recruited through Bradford training agency Appris and who study engineering at Bradford College, received medals from Windhill and Wrose Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe at a ceremony held at Carnaud Metalbox Engineering.

More than 200 employees attended the presentation, along with staff from Bradford College engineering department and training advisors from Appris. The apprentices competed over three days to design and build a new machine, using innovative thinking and multi-disciplinary skills, including electrical engineering, CNC milling, manual milling and turning. The team produced a solar powered can and bottle crushing disposal unit.

In previous rounds, they also had to build a high speed water pumping unit to demonstrate their ability to apply practical skills and high level theory in building efficient and innovative machinery.

Andrew Wilkinson, a former Bradford College and Appris mechanical apprentice employed by CMB Engineering who represented the company in the 2009 WorldSkills UK competition, supported the team as a mentor.

Geraldine McCallum, curriculum team leader for mechanical engineering, who accompanied the apprentices to the WorldSkills final, said: “It was a privilege and honour to see Andrew, Daniel and George achieve fourth place in the world in such a competitive environment.”