A County Antrim apprentice joiner will represent Team UK at this year's EuroSkills Herning in Denmark following a successful showing at the recent WorldSkills UK event.

Jamie Matthews, a Northern Regional College student and Mivan employee, will compete on the European stage when the event takes place from September 9-13 after his stellar showing at the national competition.

Jamie said: "Being selected to represent the UK at EuroSkills is a huge honour. I've been working really hard with my mentors at Northern Regional College and Mivan to reach this level, and I'm excited to showcase the skills I've developed. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm going to give it everything I've got."

-- Advertisement --

Team UK will compete in a raft of skills disciplines at the EuroSkills Herning 2025, which is also seen as crucial litmus test to measure the UK's readiness to compete on the global stage at the WorldSkills competition. Known as the 'Skills Olympics', the next WorldSkills takes place in Shanghai, China in September 2026. Following Jamie's participation at EuroSkills, he will go onto compete for a place in the team to represent the UK at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.

Mel Higgins, Principal and Chief Executive of Northern Regional College, commented: "We are incredibly proud of Jamie and his achievements so far. His success reflects the exceptional standard of training and support available at the college, as well as the strength of our partnerships with employers like Mivan. Representing the UK at EuroSkills is a tremendous achievement, and we're confident Jamie will be an outstanding ambassador for Northern Ireland and for skills excellence."

Pearson is the official partner of Team UK for EuroSkills Herning 2025 and WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, following a successful partnership at WorldSkills.