Northern Ireland has triumphed at the global skills competition WorldSkills London 2011, winning gold, silver and bronze medals as part of Team UK.



A gold medal in bricklaying was awarded to Philip Green, student at Belfast Metropolitan College and self-employed at DG Green and Sons, Lisburn. A silver medal in landscape gardening was awarded to James Cuffey. A Bronze medal in refrigeration and air-conditioning was awarded to South Eastern Regional College student, Stuart Millar from Loughgall.



In addition to the three medals, two students, Mark McGinty and Chris Downey, won Medallions for Excellence in mechatronics.

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More than 150,000 spectators from across the world watched 1,000 young skilled people from 50 countries compete over four days to be the best in the world in their skill.

Employment and Learning Minister, Dr Stephen Farry

 said: "This is an outstanding achievement not only for the young people, but also for their families, employers and tutors who have supported them throughout their training and during WorldSkills, and I want to congratulate them all on their awards."

Minister Farry continued: "This success is testament to the high standards of technical and professional training in our colleges and the commitment to excellence shown by our young people. Northern Ireland has once again demonstrated on the world stage that we have a talented workforce with the high level skills which keep us competitive in the global economy.

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The event took place from 5–8 October at ExCeL in London. 



(LB/BMcC)