Business

Five from north are Lyon-bound for global WorldSkills final

Quintet will compete in 62 skill disciplines against 1,500 rivals from 65 countries

WorldSkills in Lyon in September
The NI competitors selected to compete as part of the UK team at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 are (from left) David McKeown, Jason Scott, Isaac Bingham, Charlie Carson and Daniel Knox
By Staff reporter

Five young students/apprentices from Northern Ireland are France-bound in September after being selected as part of the 31-strong UK team to compete at the global WorldSkills final.

They will carry out challenges against counterparts from across the world in fields as diverse as cabinetmaking, autobody repair, electrical installation and robot systems integration.

WorldSkills Lyon, running from September 10-15, will see more than 1,500 young people from 65 countries compete in 62 different skill disciplines. The five local participants are:

  • David McKeown from Ballymena (autobody repair) – former apprentice who trained at Riverpark Training, now working at James McKeown Accident Repair
  • Jason Scott from Magherafelt (robot systems integration team competition) – attended Northern Regional College, now working for AES Global
  • Isaac Bingham from Rathfriland (cabinetmaking )– former apprentice who trained at Southern Regional College, now working for Monkeywood Luxury Kitchens and Furniture in Banbury, Oxfordshire
  • Charlie Carson from Ballymoney (robot systems integration team competition) – attended Northern Regional College, now at Ulster University
  • Daniel Knox from Enniskillen (electrical Installation) – former apprentice who trained at South West College, now working for GP Electrical and Security Ltd

Congratulating the quintet, Department for the Economy permanent secretary Ian Snowden said: “I’m immensely pleased for these young people on being selected to compete at this year’s WorldSkills competition.

“Each of them should be extremely proud of what they have achieved thus far and it once again clearly demonstrates the wealth of talent we have here.

“It is also great to see our further education colleges, training organisations, universities and employers being represented at a global level and it is testament to the diversity of the training offering available locally.

“I wish the team every success as they embark on this exciting venture and look forward with interest to hear the experiences of our local competitors.”