Conor’s journey to the finals started in February 2022 when he won the College’s inter-campus joinery competition hosted by the Newtownabbey campus.
This led to the CITBNI (Construction Industry Training Board) regional qualifier competitions in May 2022 where 79 of the brightest recruits and top performers within construction apprenticeships programmes from across Northern Ireland competed against each other.
Conor finished first place, ahead of the eleven other competitors in the joinery category, to book his place at the national finals.
“Being involved in skills competitions is a great learning experience and I really enjoyed being part of WorldSkills. I would encourage other apprentices and students to get involved,” he said.
Conor admitted that preparing for the national finals did involve extra work. He acknowledged that he had great support and encouragement from both the College and Mivan and added that he was already looking forward to next year’s skills competitions.