Both Charlie and Jason are Foundation Degree students at the College in Ballymena where they are studying mechanical manufacturing engineering and electrical and electronic engineering respectively.
They were among the seven students and apprentices from the College to qualify for the prestigious WorldSkills UK 2022 national finals held at six venues across the UK.
Over 500 talented young people took part, battling it out for gold, silver and bronze medals in over 60 different vocational skill categories.
The other finalists representing Northern Regional College were David McMullan (CNC Milling); Jack Carlisle (IT Support Technician) and Conor Dallas (Joinery).
Gold medal winner Charlie Carson, who is from Ballymoney, said competing in WorldSkills had been a great learning experience and securing a gold medal was the icing on the cake.
“It was brilliant to get an opportunity as taking part in the WorldSkills competition was truly a great experience. Our lecturers were very supportive, we learnt a lot of new skills and it was great to have a chance to put these into practice as we prepared for the final.
“I would encourage anyone who is considering taking part in the WorldSkills competitions next year to dedicate their time to preparing to compete as it will be time well spent.”
WorldSkills is a competition-based development programme, designed by industry experts, to enhance the practical skills and knowledge taught on vocational training courses at FE Colleges and Training Centres. Competitions are designed to boost the competitors’ skills and confidence and improve their employability.
Last year, engineering students at the College in Ballymena had a clean sweep in the Industrial Robotics category at the national finals.
Brennan Wilson and Louie Health won gold, Cameron Middleton and Adam Kirkpatrick were silver medallists and Jude Moore and Aaron Stevenson were bronze medal winners.
Cameron Middleton and Adam Kirkpatrick subsequently secured their place spot on the UK national squad and travelled with Team UK to the international WorldSkills competition in Luxembourg in October this year.
Gordon Kane, Curriculum Area Manager for Engineering and the College’s Skills Champion said:
“We are justifiably proud of all our finalists as qualifying for national finals is a major achievement and reflects their commitment and dedication to the pursuit of excellence.”
He continued: “Skills have the power to transform lives and economies. The College uses skills competition WorldSkills to raise standards in training, which in turn will help drive economic growth.
“We hope that the success the College has enjoyed in the WorldSkills competitions will encourage more young people to consider an apprenticeship and technical training as a route to great career success.”