WorldSkills UK has announced the team to represent the UK at this year’s WorldSkills competition in Kazan.
More than 30 young people from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will compete against their peers from around the world in skills from car painting and carpentry to mechatronics and mechanical engineering.
Possible competitors for the UK in a further four skills - floristry, cloud computing, cybersecurity and chemical lab technical - will be decided next month.
More on this: ‘Anxious hours lie ahead for those vying for a place on Team UK’
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Hours of training
To be in with a chance of securing a plane ticket to Kazan in Russia as part of Team UK, the young people had to undergo a strenuous selection process, which involved two years of training, having been selected for Squad UK at WorldSkills UK LIVE in 2017 in Birmingham. Squad UK members spent between six to eight weeks working with their training manager, on top of the hundreds of hours of training they are expected to complete in their own time, alongside work and training commitments.
As part of their training with WorldSkills UK, they have also been put through their paces by Olympians Peter Bakare and Marilyn Okoro at Loughborough University to help get them ready to compete on a world stage, and to teach them the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they train for WorldSkills.
To be named as part of Team UK today, competitors had to prove they were the best in the UK, excelling in both the regional and national WorldSkills UK competitions.
WorldSkills Kazan 2019 takes place from 22 to 27 August at the Kazan EXPO International. Young people from over 60 countries will test their skills to secure medals in 56 skills.
Kazan 2019: Team UK
3D Digital Game Art - Patrick Buckley, West Cheshire College
Aircraft Maintenance - Haydn Jakes, Nottingham University
Architectural Stonemasonry - Ethan Conlon, Bath College and APS Masonry
Beauty Therapy - Rebecca West, Sussex Downs College and Bespoke You
Bricklaying - Lewis Greenwood, York College and PDS Construction
Cabinet Making - Owen Aldous, Chichester College and Callow & Co
Car Painting - Conor McKevitt, Riverpark Training and Wrights Accident Repair Centre
Carpentry - Jack Goodrum, College of West Anglia and Peter Goodrum Ltd
CNC Milling - Elliott Dawson, Training 2000 and Fort Vale
CNC Turning - Jack McCarthy, DMG MORI UK
Confectioner/Pastry Cook - Connor Stow, Hull College and Compass Restaurant Association
Construction Metal Work - Tyler Atkinson, Burnley College and WEC Group
Cooking - Sam Everton, Pembrokeshire College and Crwst
Electrical Installation - Thomas Lewis, Cardiff and Vale College and Blues Electrical
Electronics - Thomas Andrews, Alton College and Sonardyne Int
Hairdressing - Phoebe McLavy, Coleg Sir Gar and Morgan Edward Salon
Jewellery - Samuel McMahon, The Goldsmiths Centre and Mappin & Webb (Aurum Holdings)
Joinery - Christopher Caine, Pembrokeshire College and DH Carpentry & Joinery
Landscape Gardening - Samuel Taylor, Myerscough College and Garden TLC
Landscape Gardening - Shea McFerran, CAFRE and Logan Landscape
Manufacturing Team Challenge - Andrew Joyce, Carnaud MetalBox
Manufacturing Team Challenge - Isaac Khan, Carnaud MetalBox
Manufacturing Team Challenge - James Thomason, Carnaud MetalBox
Mechanical Engineering (computer-aided design) - Ross Megahy, New College Lanarkshire
Mechatronics - Jack Dakin, Toyota Manufacturing UK
Mechatronics - Danny Slater, Toyota Manufacturing UK
Painting and Decorating - Callum Bonner, Forth Valley College and Clackmannanshire Council
Plastering and Drywall Systems - Curtis Johnston, SERC and SB Plastering
Refrigeration - Orlando Rawlings, Grimsby Institute of Further Education and Higher Education and Daikin UK
Restaurant Services - Collette Gorvett, Gower College Swansea
Visual Merchandising - Konnar Doyle, City of Glasgow College
Wall and Floor Tiling - Mark Scott, City of Glasgow College and J McGoldrick & Sons
