Seven young apprentices from Northern Ireland will head off to represent the UK at a vocational skills competition.

They will take part in four days of intense competition against 1,000 of the world’s most highly skilled young people from 50 nations.

The apprentices are part of the 43 strong UK Team competing at WorldSkills London 2011, where focus will be placed on 37 skill areas.

Skills in bricklaying, wall and floor tiling, refrigeration and air conditioning, landscape gardening, CNC milling, and mechatronics will be showcased by the Northern Ireland contestants.

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Northern Ireland has the highest number of team members of all the UK regions.

Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry, who has named the entrants 

the 'Magnificent Seven', said: "Northern Ireland’s strong representation on Team UK is testament to the high standards of technical and professional training in our Colleges, and the commitment to excellence shown by our young people.

"The talents which they will display at WorldSkills will not only bring the prospect of individual and team success in this prestigious competition, but also demonstrate to the world that Northern Ireland’s workforce has the high level of skills required to compete in the global economy and meet the economic challenges which lie ahead."

The competition takes place at London’s ExCeL Centre from 5-8 October.



(LB)