County Derry student set to compete at WorldSkills Finals

After achieving success at regional level, South West College's Ronan Kerr has been selected as a finalist and will compete at the national finals of this year’s WorldSkills UK competition-based development programme.

The prestigious competition, held annually, is designed to boost skills and confidence, and gives individual students the opportunity to test their knowledge and skills against the very best in the UK.

Following a series of challenging regional heats earlier in the year, the highly anticipated finals will be held week commencing November 14, and will see over 500 students and apprentices, compete for gold, silver, and bronze at the competitions, which will take place in venues across the four corners of the UK.

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Karen is currently a first-year undergraduate at Ulster University.

Ronan, from Draperstown, is among four students from South West College who will compete in the finals.

A Level 3 Professional Cookery student, Ronan will compete in the Culinary Arts category at Belfast Metropolitan College.

If successful, Ronan could see himself representing the UK at the ‘Skills Olympics’ in France in 2024.

Ronan said: “Competitions like this are great for developing your skillset. They prepare you to perform under pressure and help open doors as well as progress within your career.”