A HOLMES Chapel Comprehensive School student has excelled at a national science competition.

Year 12 student Josh Mitchell, 17, was one of just 200 young scientists selected to showcase their projects at The Big Bang Scientists and Engineers Competition earlier this month after impressing judges in regional heats.

Josh, who studies maths, further maths, physics and systems at Holmes Chapel, was named runner-up in his category.

His Desktop Workshop project – a cleverly designed, desktop-sized workshop to print plastics, mill metals and cut circuit boards with a combination of a 3D printer and CNC Mill – was also selected as one of the top five at the competition, earning Josh the chance to pitch in a Dragons Den style.

He said: “It was really good, and nice to see people like me and present my project to everyone.

“A lot of people were coming up to me and asking if I was going to do it as a business venture. Some of the judges wanted to get in touch as well, so I got a few business cards. Unfortunately, I have got exams so can’t do too much on it at the moment.

“I thought it was the final five in my age group, and I was happy with that but not too surprised. Then they said it was the top five overall and that was nice.”

The competition took place at the NEC in Birmingham, and is an annual event celebrating the achievements of students across the country in science, technology, engineering and mechanics.

Paul Jackson, chief executive of EngineeringUK, which organises the competition, said: “This year’s entries to The Big Bang Competition highlight how talented the UK’s young scientists and engineers are.”

As well as winning £250 in prize money as a runner-up, Josh has also been selected by EngineeringUK to attend the Young Talent Forum in Switzerland this month.

Along with around 70 other young people, Josh, from Goostrey, will head to Bern April 22 and April 25.

He said: “It’s exciting, but I can’t find too much information on it at the moment. It’s about entrepreneurship and small companies.

“On one of the days small businesses come to present an entrepreneurial problem they have and we have to work in groups to solve it.

“I think I’m more engineering-minded. I would like to develop a business around this idea but I have not done anything on it before.”

The Swiss talent forum, which describes itself as a ‘young people’s think tank’, says the event helps students develop ideas and expand their network of contacts.

The event description says: “Participants will learn how to work across disciplinary divides and tackle problems with solution-oriented thinking and approaches."