Ruben Duggan from Caerphilly, Wales, will represent the UK in Plumbing and Heating at WorldSkills Lyon 2024.
A former apprentice who trained at Coleg Y Cymoedd, Ruben now works for PowerServ LTD. He will represent the UK in Plumbing and Heating at WorldSkills Lyon which takes place from 10 -15 September.
On being selected for Team UK, Ruben said: “This means everything to me, I wasn’t sure whether I would get through to the end of the process, but now I can aspire to go to Lyon and win a Gold Medal.”
Ruben’s training is overseen by Ronnie Ferris MBE, a WorldSkills UK Training Manager and retired lecturer who previously taught at Southern Regional College in Northern Ireland.
The UK has been taking part in the WorldSkills Competition since 1953. WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will host over 1,500 young people from 65 countries, who will compete in 62 different skill disciplines.
Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said: “WorldSkills Lyon 2024 – think Olympic Games – where the prize is the world-class skills that UK employers are crying out for.
“The UK’s participation in the ‘skills Olympics’ will provide vital insights to ensure we can develop our apprenticeship and training programmes, to make them truly world-class.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of the exceptional young people in Team UK; they are fantastic role models. Together with Pearson, we will use their participation at WorldSkills to boost the prestige of technical and vocational education, inspiring many more young people to take up technical and vocational training across the UK to help drive investment, jobs and economic growth.”
