Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, has hosted a reception for apprentice car painter Jonathan Lloyd.

Jonathan, from Newtownabbey, scooped a bronze medal at the recent WorldSkills competition in Shizuoka, Japan.

WorldSkills is a gruelling four day event, held every two years, in which 49 nations compete in skills such as engineering, landscape gardening, graphic design, hairdressing and beauty therapy.

Some 200,000 spectators turned out to support this competition which is assessed against the toughest skills standards in the world and provides a showcase for national skills standards.

Jonathan was part of the UK WorldSkills team, made up of 22 highly talented young people. In total the team won four medals (one gold, one silver and two bronze) and nine medallions of excellence. The team's score placed the UK 11th in the world overall and fourth in Europe, improving the UK's position in the team league table by one place from 2005.

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Sir Reg congratulated Jonathan on his significant achievement on the world stage and presented him with a crystal globe to mark the occasion. Speaking at the reception the Minister said: "WorldSkills is about raising the status and the standards of professional and technical education around the world. What Jonathan achieved in Japan shows once again the importance of skills in the global economy and importantly, from our perspective, that Northern Ireland can hold its head high in this arena and at this level."

Sir Reg highlighted the important role that Jonathan's employer and training provider played in his success. He said: "I commend Agnews Auto Repair, for their support to Jonathan throughout the WorldSkills selection process through to the competition in Japan and also Blackwater House who provided the vital technical training support to Jonathan which prepared him for the showcase event. The support of employers and training providers is vital if Northern Ireland apprentices are to continue to flourish on the global skills competition stage."

At the reception, the Minister also made a presentation to Andrew Blair, another local successful WorldSkills competitor. Andrew, from County Antrim, won the UK's only gold medal in the 2005 World Skills competition in Helsinki, when he competed in the car body repair discipline.

Across the UK preparation has already started to identify a new team to take part in WorldSkills 2009 which will be held in Canada and following that WorldSkills 2011, when London will host the event.

(GK/JM)