SERC quartet bring home medal haul at WorldSkills competition

SERC quartet bring home medal haul at WorldSkills competition

500 competitors competed against each other across 61 disciplines to test their skills in front of tens of thousands of spectators at the WorldSkills UK national competition held at the NEC Birmingham. This year, the Skills Show attracted more than 90,000 visitors.

SERC quartet Jemuel Chaos (brickwork), William Campbell (carpentry and joinery), Luke Courtney and Chris Hoy (Refrigeration and air conditioning) competed at the intense three-day competition and took home three gold medals and one silver respectively.

This medal haul made SERC the highest performing college in Northern Ireland finishing fourth overall in the leaderboard.

Commending the competitors and their mentors on their hard work and dedication shown in their area of expertise, SERC Principal and Chief Executive Ken Webb said: “I would like to congratulate all the medal winners – indeed, everyone who made it into the national finals.WorldSkills UK is a great opportunity for the students to showcase and celebrate the skills and expertise they have gained whilst studying at the College. It reflects the high standards of training in our College and the commitment to excellence demonstrated by the competitors. Their success is a credit to the lecturers and employers who have been supporting them in advance of the intense competition.

“I congratulate the young competitors and I look forward to seeing how many progress to the prestigious WorldSkills competition in Abu Dhabi in 2017.”

SERC Head of Training William Greer explains: “SERC has witnessed many apprentices take their first steps on a journey that has led to success at UK National, International or even World Skills Competitions.  Showcasing the wide variety of skills and talent we have in this country and we congratulate not only the medal winners but all of those who have taken part in this prestigious competition. Our young people are more ambitious now than ever and we wish all the competitors luck in their future careers within the industry.”

WorldSkills not only encourages competitors to improve their own skills, but provides an example of the high quality work being produced in training organisations and colleges across NI. The test pieces are designed to challenge the ability of apprentices to follow detailed instructions, test skills within tight timeframes, and produce neat and accurate work – all essential requirements for today’s working environment.