14 September 2009
Fermanagh joiner Trevor Woods is celebrating great success, after scooping Bronze at the skills equivalent of the Olympics – the WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada.
The 21-year-old from Lack, Co Fermanagh, who has been employed by McAleer & Teague in Dromore, Co Tyrone since 2005, has been entering competitions for more than two years under the guidance of his tutor Bob Martin from South West College in Omagh. His persistence paid off, competing against nineteen very strong competitors from all over the world during the four-day event.
The prestigious WorldSkills competition which ran from 1 to 6 September 2009, is the biggest international skills competition in the world. It involves around 900 competitors, from 51 countries, taking part in 40 official skill categories.
Trevor's competition journey has been remarkable. In order to qualify for Team UK, Trevor had to first compete and win gold at the 2007 Skillbuild NI Competition. Trevor then went on to compete against the other Joinery Regional winners from the various regions across England, Scotland and Wales at the Skillbuild UK 2007 National Finals in Birmingham to win the Silver medal.
Trevor then jumped at the opportunity to join the UK Skills joinery squad selection process for WorldSkills Calgary 2009. After eight months of further training and competitions with the other top UK joinery apprentices, Trevor won through in face of stiff competition to become the UK Skills Joinery Apprentice in Team UK.
David Cooper Chairman of Skillbuild NI said: “We are absolutely delighted for Trevor, he has worked extremely hard over the last twelve months to perfect his skills and has now been acknowledged by winning a WorldSkills Bronze medal – a tremendous achievement. We are thrilled that having demonstrated his skills on the local stage at the Skillbuild Northern Ireland Competition, Trevor has been able to achieve such success on a world stage. This award reflects the exceptionally high standards of technical and professional education in Northern Ireland".
Trevor has been employed by McAleer & Teague in Dromore for the past 5 years. Ciaran Teague, partner McAleer & Teague, stated; “We’re focusing on managing talent. Recruiting, rewarding and retaining top talent like Trevor is vital. To reach this level of competitive performance Trevor has worked hard under the guidance of Bob Martin, lecturer at the Omagh Campus who is delighted with his success stating; “Trevor has a fantastic talent and I am delighted that he is competing at this level”.
South West College Director Malachy McAleer expressed great pride in Trevor’s achievements, “Trevor Woods’ achievement has been remarkable. Through a combination of commitment and skill, coupled with excellent support from his mentor, Bob Martin, Trevor has reached world standard, and for this the South West College is very proud”.
About WorldSkills www.worldskills.org.uk
· The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition in the world and is held every two years in one of its member countries. It sets world class standards in over 40 skill categories ranging from cabinet making to web design
· Over four days of tough competition, young people drawn from 51 member nations test themselves against tough international standards. The ultimate prizes are gold, silver and bronze medals.
· Calgary hosted the 40th WorldSkills competition from 1st to 6th September. In addition to the 900 competitors from 51 member countries, there are 3,000 volunteers, 5,000 international experts, delegates and visitors, 30,000 hotel room nights, 150,000 students and public spectators and 80,000 square meters of competition space.
About Skillbuild Northern Ireland
· Skillbuild Northern Ireland developed from Construction Craft Competitions in 1994 and has grown into the leading skills competition in the construction industry in Northern Ireland.
· Skillbuild NI competition test pieces are designed to challenge the ability of apprentices to follow detailed instructions, produce accurate and neat work outputs, be economical with materials while working to strict timescales - all essential requirements for today's construction industry.
· The competition not only encourages trainees to improve their own skills but provides an example of the high quality work being produced in training organisations across NI to meet local industry skill levels.
· Skillbuild has the support of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), ConstructionSkills in NI, the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), Association of Northern Ireland Colleges and major sponsors such as H&J Martin, Haldane Fisher and Snickers Workwear.
