A young Downpatrick apprentice has been crowned Northern Ireland's Apprentice of the Year for 2011.

Luke Hawthorne, 21, received his award at ceremony in Belfast. He started his Wood Machining apprenticeship in 2007 at South Eastern Regional College's Downpatrick campus.

Since gaining his NVQ Level 2, Luke, who is employed with H J O'Boyle Ltd, has continued to demonstrate his excellence, including participation at the Northern Ireland Skillbuild competition.

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In 2009 he was awarded the silver medal in the competition and in 2010 went one better, achieving the gold medal in the Carpentry section.

Luke has also recently been selected for 'Squad UK', with a chance to represent the UK in the world's largest international skills competition, WorldSkills. The event will be hosted in London later this year.

Apprenticeships play a key role in providing trainees with the skill sets with which to gain employment in what is an increasingly competitive job market. There are over 11,500 apprentices currently in training in Northern Ireland.

The Apprentice of the Year competition is open to those currently on the Department for Employment and Learning’s Apprenticeships programmes and showcases excellence in apprenticeship training.

(GK/BMcC)