EuroSkills 2023: NI apprentices take home medallions for excellence

Daniel Knox, Charlie Carson and Jason Scott all picked up medallions for excellence at the EuroSkills Finals

The skills of three Northern Ireland apprentices have impressed in Poland as they picked up accolades in a European-wide competition.

The Euroskills Final is held every two years and this time around involved 600 young people from 32 countries.

Team UK scooped nine awards at the event in Gdańsk.

Daniel Knox, Jason Scott and Charlie Carson were all awarded medallions for excellence for achieving the international standard in their skills.

• NI apprentices to test skills against Europe's best

The idea of the competition was to showcase the wide variety of talents held by apprentices and young professionals in areas such as engineering, construction and computer coding.

This year's 20-strong Team UK included four young men from Northern Ireland.

WorldSkills UK, a government funded charity, selects, trains and manages the team.

Daniel Knox, Isaac Bingham, Jason Scott and Charlie Carson made it through a gruelling selection process by winning regional heats and national finals.

Daniel Knox said he was "over the moon" to be coming back to Enniskillen with his medallion

Mr Knox, from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, picked up a medallion in the electrical installation category and said he was "over the moon".

The 21-year-old was tasked with taking on a practical build against the clock.

"I really was surprised by the size of it and it was amazing just to be part of. I went out there thinking I could maybe have a chance at a medal but to be coming home with it is amazing," he said.

Unique opportunity

Mr Knox said that it was a great experience to meet other young people from the same profession and learn from them.

"It is very unique, not many people can say that they have competed with people from other countries in Europe with the same skill level and set.

"It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity."

He added that he was proud of the Northern Ireland contingent with three awards being "more than we could ever have imagined".

Jason Scott said he was taken aback by the scale of the competition in Gdańsk

Jason Scott, a mechatronic engineer with a passion for automation and robotics, took home a medallion in the robot systems integration category.

The 21-year-old from Magherafelt in County Londonderry was part of a team, alongside Ballymoney's Charlie Carson.

"I think Northern Ireland did exceptionally well; for three of us to come home with medallions is just amazing," he said.

Mr Scott was the first to admit that he may not have at first understood the scale of the event.

"The venue was enormous and it was just surreal to see all these people from countries all over Europe displaying all these different skills," he said

"The competition was really good; it really was tough which is not a bad thing as I learned so much from the experience."

Mr Scott said it was important to have the support of his team mate Charlie Carson through the competition

Mr Scott said he was able to see others in the same profession from across Europe who he would be keeping in contact with.

"It was good to have Charlie with me, there were a lot of highs and lows but having each other there for support was very important," he said.

At home in Magherafelt, Mr Scott's family were watching a live stream even though they couldn't be there in person.

"My family were so supportive, the days were long so I didn't get speaking to them much but they were in tears when I rang them after."