Success at WorldSkills: A guest post from Northern Ireland

A guest post from Northern Ireland, one of the Devolved Nations bringing WorldSkills London 2011 to the UK:

Trevor Woods, a joinery apprentice from County Fermanagh, won a coveted bronze medal at the WorldSkills 2009 Competition in Calgary.

Trevor, a City & Guilds qualified apprentice at South West Regional College, Omagh, and employed by McAleer and Teague, Dromore, beat some of the best young skilled people in the world to win the medal at the biggest skills based competition in the world. He competed as part of the 26 strong UK WorldSkills team, which won nine medals in total.

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, who supported Trevor during the competition said "I would like to congratulate Trevor on this magnificent achievement. The standard of skills that I witnessed in Calgary was extremely high, and Trevor should feel very proud that his commitment and hard work have paid off to make him the best in the world. Northern Ireland has once again shown that we have a talented workforce with the high level of skills that are required to compete in the global economy."

Bill McGinnis, attending the event in his role as Northern Ireland Advisor on Employment and Skills said "Trevor's outstanding success in Calgary, against worldwide competition is a shining example to others in Northern Ireland of what can be achieved through individual commitment and skills development. This excellent achievement will also have obvious benefits for Trevor's employers, McAleer and Teague, who should be commended for their support. I would encourage individuals and employers, across all sectors in Northern Ireland, to recognise the benefits that can be gained from upskilling and participating on the global stage."

David Cooper, Chairman of Skillbuild NI said: "We are absolutely delighted for Trevor, he has worked extremely hard over the last twelve months to perfect his skills and has now been acknowledged by winning a WorldSkills Bronze medal - a tremendous achievement. We are thrilled that having demonstrate his skills on the local stage at the Skillbuild Northern Ireland Competition, Trevor has been able to achieve such success on a world stage. This award reflects the exceptionally high standards of technical and professional education in Northern Ireland."

We would love to hear about other WorldSkills success stories from all around the world. If you have experiences to share with us, why not visit our Facebook page to join the discussion?