Results: Aussies shine at World Skills 2011
By Lucy Carne and CareerOne.com.au
Australia has ranked seventh in the world’s most skilled countries after winning 10 medals in eight categories at the WorldSkills competition in London.
Ben Houghton, 21, of Dubbo in country NSW was honoured as the world’s best young electrician, winning gold, and Australia’s highest overall point score, in the electrical installations category. The apprentice electrician, who works for AKE Electrical, said his win was “bloody unreal”.
“I was hoping to do my best but I never thought I was going to win,” he said.
He said the gold medal made him proud to have done a trade rather than go to university: “I always wanted to work with my hands.
“This will hopefully get me some good job offers.”
Australia’s four silver medals went to Guy Brooks in welding, Kye Szeniak in car painting, Liam Janetzki in refrigeration and air conditioning and Kate Crocker in restaurant service.
Hairdresser Alexis Scott won bronze, along with Lester Tibbles in brick laying and the manufacturing challenge team of Matthew Hall, Ben Hooper and Michael Theobald.
Skills and trade powerhouse Korea won first place overall, followed by Brazil in second, then Japan, Switzerland and Singapore. More than 200,000 people from 50 countries attended the four-day competition held at the ExCel centre in East London.
“From what I have seen at WorldSkills London we have every reason to be optimistic about the future,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a message at the award ceremony held at London’s O2 Arena.
Mark Callaghan, CEO of WorldSkills Australia said today, “we are extremely pleased with the results – Australia is ranked amongst the top 10 countries in the world, which is a fantastic result.
“We are now ranked 7th in the world, which is a much better result than we anticipated under much stronger competition.”
Gold
Electrical Installations – Ben Houghton
Silver
Welding – Guy Brooks
Restaurant Service – Kate Crocker
Car Painting – Kye Szeniak
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning – Liam Janetzki
Bronze
MTC – Mathew Hall, Ben Hooper, Michael Theobald
Bricklaying – Lester Tibbles
Ladies/Men’s Hairdressing – Alexis Scott
Medallions of Excellence
IT Software Solutions for Business – Andrew Seeley
Wall and Floor Tiling – Jake Hall
Autobody Repair – Craig Agnew
Plumbing and Heating – Phillip Little
Industrial Control – David McPherson
Painting and Decorating – Gustavo Asciutto
Cabinetmaking – Ben Cooper
Jewellery – Natalee Hibbins
Beauty Therapy – Alex Odgers
Automobile Technology – Romain Marteau
Landscape Gardening – Richard May, Thomas Ramsey
Graphic Design Technology – Nick Sharp
Construction Metal Work – Michael Ashton
Sheet Metal Technology – Russell Routledge
Best of Nation – Ben Houghton
Ranking (by average score)
1 – Korea
2 – China
3 – Brazil
4 – Switzerland
5 – Japan
6 – Iran
7 – Singapore
8 – AUSTRALIA
9 – Austria
10 – Ireland
11 – United Kingdom
29 – New Zealand
Ranking (by average medal points)
1 – Korea
2 – Brazil
3 – Japan
4 – Switzerland
5 – Singapore
6 – Ireland
7 – AUSTRALIA
8 – China
9 – United Kingdom
10 – Austria
News Limited, News.com.au and CareerOne.com.au
