Blair top Autobody Repairer in the world - official

Andrew Blair, 22, from County Antrim, has scooped the UKís only gold medal at the 2005 WorldSkills Competition in Helsinki, Finland. He won the medal in Autobody Repair, competing against 14 other countries including Japan, Korea, France, Germany and the US. Andrew, who works for Mallusk Accident Repair Centre in Belfast, also achieved 7th place in the overall Competition (almost 700 competitors competed in total), which took place over four days between 26th and 29th May.

At the closing ceremony in Helsinki, Andrew Blair said:

Iím thrilled to have won gold. It was great to compete against other countries to see how I compared and Iím overwhelmed with the result. Itís been hard work but my training manager, Karl Vella and my training college Blackwater House have helped me all the way. The team at Mallusk Accident Repair Centre have also been a great support during my preparation. Iím very proud to have represented the UK at this competition.

This follows UK Skillsí announcement today that the UK has been placed 11th on average team score at the 2005 WorldSkills Competition, scooping one gold, two silver medals and seven Medallions of Excellence. For the first time, the UK teamís average score exceeded the 500-point World Class benchmark standard. The UK achieved a higher score than previous WorldSkills giants Japan, France, the USA and the host country Finland. Beauty therapist Joanna Thompson and stonemason Gary Collier won silver. Photographs of individuals at the competition are available on request.

Phil Hope MP, the new Skills Minister, Chris Humphries, Chairman of UK Skills and Director-General of City & Guilds and Dr Graeme Hall, Chief Executive of UK Skills, which manages the UK team, attended the competition and congratulated the competitors on their achievement.

Chris Humphries said:

We congratulate Andrew on his outstanding success at WorldSkills. It is the largest skills competition in the world, with over 700 competitors from almost 40 member countries participating. To win gold shows that he is one of the worldís top technicians in his skill.

All of our young people were excellent ambassadors for their country and their achievements demonstrate the UKís ability to achieve world class standards in vocational skills.

The UK team has worked extremely hard to get to and take part in the competition and standards in all competitions were higher than ever before. In 2003, the UK was placed 15th overall. This year, weíve done even better and we hope to use our experience in Helsinki to build on our success and reach the top five at the next competition in Japan in 2007.

Young people from nearly 40 skill areas competed over the course of four days to become the best within their chosen skill. The 18-strong UK team, aged between 18 and 22 years old, competed in a range of skills areas, from beauty therapy, cookery and cabinet making to joinery, bricklaying and landscape gardening.

Dr Graeme Hall, chief executive of UK Skills, an independent organisation largely funded by the Department for Education and Skills, said:

We want young people to be inspired by the example of the 2005 UK WorldSkills team and encourage them to participate in skills competitions, both national and international. The standards set at these events provide a benchmark against which industry can measure and compare its performance with that of our major overseas competitors, and so help to raise the standard of performance within the UK

We congratulate our team leaders, who have done an excellent job of steering and supporting the team at every stage and our trainers whose reputation for their integrity and professionalism was enhanced yet again. Our supporters have been crucial in helping us select the very best competitors for Helsinki and are vital to our continued success.