Northern Ireland competitors excel at WorldSkills UK LIVE

Date published: 7 February 2019

The finals saw more than 500 competitors battle it out in 70 different disciplines including construction, engineering, hospitality, digital, business and the creative industries. Forty competitors from Northern Ireland competed in 20 skill areas and came away with an impressive medal haul of five gold, five silver and seven bronze medals. They also scooped five highly commended awards.

Speaking at the celebration event in Belfast today, Noel Lavery, Permanent Secretary for the Department for the Economy, said;

“I want to congratulate everyone who took part in the WorldSkills UK LIVE 2018 competition. To reach this stage of the competition and to participate in the prestigious event at the NEC in Birmingham, they are all winners in my eyes. Once again, our local students and trainees have exceeded all expectations. They truly are an example of the enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism that our learners bring to these competitions, not to mention the abundance of ability and skills that we have in Northern Ireland.

“I want to offer a special congratulations to the Southern Regional College who came third in the overall medals points table across the UK. Entering skills competitions such as WorldSkills UK LIVE enables students and apprentices to benchmark their skills against other competitors at national and international level, helping them to build their confidence, develop their own employment skills and drive up standards across a range of key skills areas.”

In addition, to the medals of our Further Education students, the UK Local Hero Award was presented to David Frizell, a Skills tutor at Riverpark Training, based at Mallusk. The award recognises those individuals who support competitors and inspire learners to take part in skills competitions.

Noel Lavery added:

“I want to congratulate David on being awarded the UK Local Hero. It is a fitting reward for his dedication and support for his trainees, giving up a lot of his own time, including weekends, to help them to participate and succeed in competitions such as WorldSkills UK.”