Grand Slam: Our chat with Idris Khan, trainee engineer and judo champ

For Idris Khan, beginning his traineeship with the Omnia Academy this year was an obvious first step on the career ladder. Idris, however, has a couple more strings to his bow than your average engineering up-and-comer. Having represented the UK in international judo competitions since 2023, he’s got the grit, determination, and discipline that young engineers need to make it at the cutting-edge of T&D delivery.

We spoke to Idris to find out more about how his love for judo - and his recent barnstorming success at the famous Lausanne Grand Slam - is shaping his approach to learning, and to life.

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Congratulations on your recent judo success. Tell us about the competition.

I recently competed at the Lausanne Grand Slam, which is one of the most prestigious events in the international judo calendar outside of the World Championships. Competitors travel from all over the world to take part. I read somewhere that, this year, there were people from 77 different countries across five continents, which is a crazy statistic.

I had five fights and managed to win all of them, which was really the best possible result. Even better, my older sister and younger brother were competing too, and they both won all of their fights as well.

Judo clearly runs in the family. How did you get started?

My dad introduced me to judo when I was five years old. He practised jujitsu and thought judo would be a good fit for me. I've been doing it for around 13 years now and started competing seriously when I was between eight and ten years old. Since then, it's become a huge part of my life.

My dad introduced me to judo when I was five years old. He practised jujitsu and thought judo would be a good fit for me. I've been doing it for around 13 years now and started competing seriously when I was between eight and ten years old. Since then, it's become a huge part of my life.

You've represented Great Britain. What does that mean to you?

It's something I'm really proud of. I started representing Great Britain in 2023 when I competed at the World Games. It's rewarding to see the results of years of hard work and commitment. Of course, representing your country on an even bigger stage would be incredible, too - I'd love to go to the Olympics. So who knows… maybe Brisbane 2032?

What has judo taught you beyond the sport itself?

A lot, both physically and mentally. When I was younger, I wasn't particularly strong and was quite small for my age. Judo has helped me build confidence, discipline and resilience.

I think the biggest impact has been personal growth. It teaches you how to stay focused, deal with pressure and keep improving, which are skills that help in every area of life, and ones that I’ve carried over into my traineeship with Omnia.

How have you found the Omnia Academy experience so far?

I've been here for about two months and it's been a great experience. There was a lot to take in at first, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of things now, which feels great, obviously!

Everyone I’ve met has been supportive. I get the chance to learn on the job from people who’ve been in the industry for years, so they really, really know what they’re doing. I’m picking up new things every day.

What have you enjoyed most about the traineeship so far?

Probably the CAD work. At college I'd used CAD software before, but AutoCAD was new to me. I enjoy learning new skills and developing my technical knowledge, so getting involved in that side of the business has been really interesting.

What attracted you to the Omnia Academy?

Engineering is something that's always been around me. My dad’s worked in the industry for years and my sister is an apprentice, so I already had some insight into the opportunities available.

When I was looking at apprenticeship options, Omnia was one of my top choices because it offered the chance to learn from experienced engineers while gaining practical experience. It’s hard to find that balance between hands-on learning and studying, but Omnia have a really flexible programme that gives you a lot of variety.

What advice would you give other Omnia Academy trainees?

Take every opportunity you're given.

Even if something isn't exactly what you expected or outside your comfort zone, it's always going to be useful and help you develop. The more experiences you can get, the more you'll learn. I’ve got quite a few experiences coming up that I’m excited about - being able to get out on site more and continue building my practical skills is definitely high on my list.