Success for the UK automotive team at WorldSkills Calgary 2009
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has applauded the achievements of the UK automotive team on their performance at the 2009 Worldskills competition in Canada.
Twenty two year old Daniel Cain from Grimsby, who is City and Guilds qualified, won a bronze medal in the autobody repair category (pictured right) and there were also medallions of excellence awarded to Dean Jones and Zak McLaughlan in automobile technology and car painting respectively.
WorldSkills 2009 was a successful competition for the whole team, with the UK winning three golds and six bronze medals in total and in addition, the UK was also awarded 14 Medallions for Excellence given to competitors who achieve at least 500 points, deemed the world class standard.
Over four days of tough competition, 900 young people from across the world test themselves against rigorous international standards at the WorldSkills event, with the ultimate prize of winning gold, silver or bronze for their country. The UK automotive team has a good track record at previous WorldSkills competitions, in 2005, Andrew Blair won a gold medal in autobody repair in Helsinki, and in Japan in 2007, Jonathan Lloyd and Simon Noble each scooped a bronze medal in autobody repair and vehicle painting, respectively. All the automotive competitors achieve their places following a tough selection process via regional and national Skillauto competitions.
Commenting on the success of the UK trio, Sarah Sillars, Chief Executive at the IMI said:
“Congratulations to Daniel on winning a bronze medal and to Dean and Zak for achieving medallions of excellence. Their medals are fantastic news not only for the individuals involved but also for the motor industry as a whole as their achievements demonstrate the high-level of skill needed to work in today’s automotive sector.”
Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, which manages Team UK said:
“What Team UK has achieved is outstanding. They have all worked so hard to get to where they are and that has certainly paid off. Once again we have shown that we have the very best young talent in our country. It’s a tremendous result not just for the competitors, but for their employers, trainers and colleges. We hope to build on this success as we move towards the next WorldSkills Competition, which London will be hosting in 2011, where we hope to do even better. We are extremely proud of each and every one of them and can say that they are amongst the best in the world at their chosen skill. I send my heartfelt congratulations to the whole Team and look forward to welcoming them back to the UK.”