TWO welders studying at Lakes College will take part in a prestigious competition.

Morgan Roberts and Danny Hills initially competed in the WorldSkills UK Qualifiers last year, then went on to win a silver medal and a highly commended award at the WorldSkills UK National Finals in Birmingham.

They have now been selected to represent Squad UK in the welding skill.

Danny said: “The WorldSkills UK National Finals were such an incredible experience and I am excited to think that I could potentially be travelling to Austria to compete again.

"I want to wish the best of luck to everyone and may the best welder win!”

Clive Bell, welding lecturer at Lakes College and WorldSkills UK training manager, said: “The lads from Lakes College have shown that they are capable of competing at a high level with their impressive results from the UK Finals.

"I am thrilled that they have been selected to represent the UK in the welding skill, and look forward to seeing how they manage under the pressure of the mock competition.”

The Lillyhall college welders will be joined by Squad UK member Harry Jackson from Stainless Metalcraft Ltd, and together they will undertake ‘Back to Basics Training’ for five days.

Their training manager will recreate the conditions of a real competition whilst overseeing their work and attempting to spot areas for improvement.

A recommendation for one of the three Squad UK members to compete at the EuroSkills competition in Graz, Austria, later this year will be made, which consists of 19 hours of welding.

The chosen welder will then take part in four Olympic-style boot camps consisting of productivity training, performance coaching, performance psychology and physiological well-being.