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Southern Regional College students have completed four intense days of competition at the 2024 WorldSkills UK National Finals in Manchester and Greater Manchester. The students showcased their talent and skills and earned 10 medals and secured a remarkable second place on the WorldSkills UK leaderboard in the process.
Lee Campbell, Principal & CEO of Southern Regional College commented: "Congratulations to all students who won medals at the 2024 WorldSkills UK National Finals, and to those who reached the final stage of the national competition. This event is about more than just medals; it's about determination, learning, and growth. These results reflect the tremendous effort students have put into their preparing for the finals, with the support of lecturers and employers during pre-competition training. Both medal winners and finalists should be immensely proud of their achievements."
Winning a gold medal in the Industry 4.0 category was Caolan McCartan, a current Engineering (Technical Design & Manufacture) foundation degree student. Caolan competed in the Industry 4.0 category alongside recent BEng Engineering SRC graduate Patrick Sheerin from Portadown.
Caolan currently works as a Quality Engineer at Collins Aerospace. Caolan has had a long-term interest in engineering, due to what he says is his “fascination with analysing and solving problems.” For Caolan, “engineering was the perfect career choice due to its ever-evolving field and wide range of branches to specialise in.”
In the mechatronics category, Newry student Jason McVerry alongside teammate John Doherty won a silver medal, improving upon their bronze medal position in the 2023 national finals. Jason currently works within Redrock Machinery as a Design Engineer. This involves designing parts and assembling agricultural machines and the production of technical drawings for fabricators.
Also competing in the mechatronics category, were Neil King from Warrenpoint and Sean Treanor from Monaghan. Neil and Sean faced tough competition, as three of the six finalist teams were made up of SRC students. While Neil and Sean finished outside the medal table in this 2024 competition, there is the opportunity for this duo to return to the 2025 competition activity.
SRC lecturer Sean MacDiarmada commented: “In the fields of automation and mechatronics, Sean and Neil are talented, skilled and insightful. They are also motivated to push current boundaries and innovate. I am sure they will excel and do themselves proud.”
Other Newry students competing on the national stage were Clara Rose Cooney in the Health & Social Care category, Phelim McArdle in Restaurant Services and teammates Ethan Park from Rathfriland and Eve Hillen from Hilltown in Automation. Out of thousands of entries these students made it through to the final stage of competition.
Finalists and medallists were celebrated at a closing ceremony in Manchester on Friday 22 November. The WorldSkills UK National Finals showcases the best of the UK’s young talent. Designed by industry experts, the competition series develops personal and professional skills through the advancement of technical and employability skills, through competition-based learning.
Southern Regional College students have excelled in recent years at WorldSkills UK. This year has seen a continued dominance in the areas of mechatronics, laboratory technician, electrical installation, automotive refinishing and culinary arts, with students securing medals in these areas, in consecutive years.
The 2024 WorldSkills National Finals took place from Tuesday 19 November to Friday 22 November across eight venues in Manchester and Greater Manchester. The next National Finals will occur between 25-28 November 2025 across venues in South Wales. Competition activity for the 2025 cycle will commence in March 2025.
