Two ATNZ apprentices have won gold at the 2018 WorldSkills national competition in Hamilton.

Like the Olympics for trades and services, WorldSkills celebrates the skills young people need to succeed in vocational careers

ATNZ apprentice Matt Nielson (hosted by Page Macrae in Mount Maunganui) won gold in the welding section and Lloyd Dyer (hosted by Acme Engineering in Lower Hutt) won gold in the industrial mechanic millwright section.

If successful in a series of pre-competition requirements including international competitions, they will attend the WorldSkills grand final competition in Kazan, Russia, in August 2019.

Matt says he is “absolutely stoked” with the win and proud of himself for the big achievement.

He has almost completed his general engineering apprenticeship at Paige Macrae, where he is one of 24 ATNZ apprentices currently studying and working.

“I have this great opportunity in front of me. Once I’ve finished my apprenticeship, my options are open to be able to work anywhere I want to, in New Zealand and the world.”

The WorldSkills event involved five regional competition finalists from across the country showcase their skills across nine industry categories ranging from construction and manufacturing to engineering and creative arts.

WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, not-for-profit charitable trust dedicated to encouraging trade and work skills excellence by encouraging participation for people aged 21 and under at regional, national and international WorldSkills competitions.

Working closely with industry training organisations, polytechnics and private companies, the organisation promotes skills training as a first choice to school leavers, as well as consistent international performance benchmarks and supports a New Zealand team at the bi-annual WorldSkills International finals competing against 79 other countries.