The best apprentices in the UK were celebrated at WorldSkills UK’s glittering ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.
More than 6,000 young people registered to take part in the WorldSkills UK Competitions, with the winners announced following six months of local and regional qualifiers and two days of competition at the National Finals.
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said: “I would like to congratulate all the competitors in the UK WorldSkills final. They have done an amazing job showcasing their exceptional talent.
“They are all winners in my eyes for choosing a pathway that will build their skills and career potential, allowing them to climb the skills ladder of opportunity.”
Among the disciplines were a number of automotive categories.
The winners in Automotive Body Repair were Adrian Matthews, S&B Automotive Academy, Ultimate Accident Repair Services (gold); Robert Gray, Riverpark Training (silver); and Alec Archie Macleod, Edinburgh College Highland Motors (bronze).
In Automotive Refinishing the winners were Oisin McKerr, Southern Regional College Porters Bodyshop (gold); Victoria Steele, NPTC Group of Colleges Sinclair Bodyshop (silver); and Declan Phillips, Doncaster- Rotherham & District GTA BCA (bronze).
Meanwhile, the Automotive Technology winners were Oliver Young, Perth College UHI, JR Auto Services (gold); Ryan Cullen, South West College, Adam Lucas AL Mechanical Services (silver); Elliot Ritchie, Calex UK, Weston Mazda Edinburgh; and Jack Johnston, Perth College UHI, JR Auto Services.