A record number of spectators — almost 80,000 — recently went to The Skills Show at the NEC.

The three-day interactive event also saw almost 500 young apprentices from 55 disciplines — including aircraft maintenance, 3-D game design, cabinet making, plumbing and cyber security — take part in the World Skills UK National Finals.

Conor Denver Alexander (24) from Whitehaven won a gold medal in the Welding category, having been encouraged to enter the competition for a second time by tutors at Lakes College Cumbria and his employer Hertel Altrad Ltd.

He said: “Welding is something I have wanted to do since I was young. My dad is a pipe-fitter, and he encouraged me. I took a shine to welding and was lucky enough to win a silver medal in 2015, so to come back and win gold this year is amazing.”

Joshua Page (26) from Bradford made the final of Mechanical Engineering CAD last year but did not win a medal. This year, the Bradford College student won gold. “I worked really hard — knowing what to expect — and was determined to do better than last year, but to get gold was a nice surprise.”

Many of the winners now have the opportunity to go forward and be considered for Team UK selection — to represent their country in the forthcoming international finals in Budapest and Kazan (Russia).

Neil Bentley, CEO of World Skills UK, said: “This has been a wonderful showcase for UK skills. The competition was fierce, and the standards were very high. All the finalists have done brilliantly well just to get this far.”