SOUTH Eastern Regional College (SERC) student William Campbell has been named the best in the UK after winning Gold at the UK’s national WorldSkills competition.
The carpentry and joinery apprentice, who is employed by Stephen Hamilton Construction progressed to the final having won two previous gold medals at both the intercampus and regional heats of Skill Build.
20-year-old William beat off stiff competition from apprentices from across the UK colleges and training providers to win this year’s competition, which took place during the NEC Skills Show 2016 in Birmingham.
During the event 500 competitors competed against each other across 61 disciplines to test their skills in front of more than 90,000 spectators.
SERC won a total of four medals and were the highest performing college from Northern Ireland, finishing fourth in the overall leaderboard.
William’s mentor and tutor Rodney McKee said: “William has worked very hard preparing for the competition and should be very proud of himself. This is the third medal he has won during his time at SERC. William is an excellent role model for the College and illustrates how rewarding and exciting a career in carpentry can be.”
Ken Webb SERC Principal and Chief Executive commented: “I would like to congratulate William and his mentor Rodney McKee on this fantastic achievement. It is something to be very proud of and I hope they cherish this for a long time. William is a credit to his mentor, his family and his employers and I have no doubt that he will continue to develop his skills within the industry and have a very successful career. The success is testament to the high standards of technical and professional training provided at SERC and the dedication of our tutors to encourage students to reach their full potential and be the best that they can be.”