Two AIT students to compete at 'World Skills Olympics' in Russia

Two students from Athlone IT’s Department of Civil Engineering and Trades have been selected to represent Ireland in a prestigious international competition which is regarded as the 'Skills Olympics'. 

Jack O’Donnell and Daniel Curtin, competing in plumbing and heavy vehicle maintenance respectively, are among 16 Irish competitors who will be competing at the 45th WorldSkills ‘Olympics’ in Kazan, Russia, later this month. 

Jack, from Lettermore in Galway, and Daniel, from county Clare, have spent the past ten weeks undergoing intensive training in preparation for the event. 

The pair, both under the age of 25, secured their spot on the WorldSkills ‘Team Ireland’ in March of this year, demonstrating significant expertise in their fields at the Irish Skills Live qualifier.

The competition - which saw entrants showcase their skills in a wide array of areas, including aircraft maintenance, beauty therapy, cabinet-making, cookery, construction metal work, electrical installations, joinery, plumbing, heating, restaurant service, and cloud computing - aims to promote college courses, apprenticeships and traineeships that offer skills and on-the-job learning.

Commenting ahead of the WorldSkills competition, Joe Lawless, Head of Department of Civil and Trades at Athlone IT, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what Daniel and Jack have achieved, and wish them every success as they get ready to showcase their talents at the 45th ‘Skills Olympics’ in Russia. 

“This competition gives prospective students, parents and guidance counsellors an excellent idea of what an apprenticeship entails and the career opportunities available from them. This is vitally important to addressing our national skills shortage.”

The WorldSkills competition, which is held every two years, is the world’s largest professional education event. Some 1,600 competitors from 60 countries are expected to compete in this year’s event across 56 different skills and disciplines. 

All the finalists will demonstrate technical abilities both individually and collectively by executing specific tasks which they have studied and/or perform in their workplace. The event takes place in Kazan from August 22 to 27.

Team Ireland is equally funded by the Further Education and Training Authority SOLAS, the Education and Training Boards Ireland and the Higher Education Authority.