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