Phillip Calthorpe EngTech will be playing a key role in ensuring that the Para-Olympic Games run smoothly this year, as he’s been picked to work in the team welding and repairing wheelchairs and other equipment.
“My main task will be to repair athletes’ aluminium wheelchairs or equipment that become damaged during the event, to make sure that they can carry on competing,” says Phillip. “I will be working as part of a team of 80 people based across nine workshops, the main one being in Stratford with smaller portable units situated near other competition events around the country. There will be one welder based in each of these workshops, and we will work in two shifts per day, so that the service is available from 7:00am – 11:00pm.
Each Technician will have their own specific duties. These will include prosthetics (artificial limbs), electrical power for the wheel chairs and my role of TIG welding repairs and fabrication of tubing to replace any damaged framework. I shall also help out others with tasks such as changing damaged wheel tyres, etc.”
Phillip is a member of TWI and currently works as a Welding/NDT Inspector. He initially applied on-line, in response to the London 2012 Olympics '’get involved' advertisement for volunteers. Out of 240,000 applications Phillip was one of the 64,000 invited for an interview by the London team. His second interview was with the main sponsor of the Para-Olympics, a German company called Otto Bock Healthcare GmbH, where he was able to confirm his welding experience and qualifications, the quality codes he works to and the type of work he currently undertakes. He was delighted to receive an email a few days later confirming his appointment, based on his welding experience and EngTech professional qualification.
Phillip is very much looking forward to being involved in such a prestigious event and says: “As 15 different languages will be spoken in the workshop, and as everybody working at the Olympics could be potential career contacts there is every possibility that this could assist in my career progression. In any case, working at the London 2012 Para-Olympic Games will definitely look good on my CV.”
