Team UK Strikes Gold at WorldSkills in Abu Dhabi

Team UK competitors have arrived home with their heads held high after pulling in a medal haul that betters rivals Germany and over 45 other nations, at a competition commonly known as “the Olympics of skills”.

Team UK’s silver medallists included car-painter Daryl Head, 21, from Thatcham Automotive Academy, and picking up a bronze medal was auto-repairer Andrew Gault, a 20-year-old from Riverpark Training and Development.

Team UK finished 10th in the medals table and was the smallest team to make the global top 10.

This year’s competition was seen by many as a litmus test for the UK’s ability to cope when Brexit kicks in from 2019.

Neil Bentley, chief executive of WorldSkills UK, said:

“If we celebrate Team UK’s success and use it to inspire others to follow in their footsteps – the future of the UK is in safe hands.”

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton, who visited the competition to support the team, called upon parents to take note of the results.

“I have been blown away by Team UK,” she said. “They have done fantastically well – this is the UK competing on the world stage for skills and achieving great things.

“There will be huge celebrations when they come home. To get to this level is brilliant.

“There is a message here for parents: university is not the only option. The opportunities are boundless if they overcome any bias that they might have. We must ensure that the young apprentices here become an inspiration to others.

“WorldSkills UK is doing a fantastic job supporting these young people, with thousands of hours of input. We need to put all that they are doing – the ethos of this competition, the spirit of these apprentices – into a bottle and sprinkle it across the UK.”

Having triumphed through regional heats, a national final, EuroSkills in Gothenburg, the gruelling Team UK selection process and months of intensive training, the 34 young apprentices spent four days in hot competition at the 44th WorldSkills finals beginning on 15th October.

David Massie, Skills Competition Manager at the IMI, who organises the UK automotive competitions and supported Daryl and Andrew in Abu Dhabi said:

“An incredible performance from our two automotive champions. Watching them battle it out against the very best in the world was nerve wracking, but they both rose to the challenge and did themselves, their employers, trainers and families, and not least their country proud. Well-deserved medals and I’m sure their achievement will go on to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. I wish them and everyone in Team UK every success in their future careers”

They were among more than 1,200 other young people from over 50 nations, who are specialists in 51 different disciplines from hairdressing to aircraft maintenance, and plumbing to 3D games design.

China led the medal table with 15 gold medals, seven silvers and eight bronzes. Korea came second on medal points with eight golds, eight silvers, and eight bronzes. Switzerland was third on points, winning 11 golds, six silver, and three bronze.