Council Chair hosts reception for Daniel Knox, Winner of a Medallion of Excellence at Worldskills Lyon

Recently the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, hosted a reception for Daniel Knox in recognition of winning a Medallion of Excellence in Electrical Installation at the Worldskills Lyon competition.

The following is a copy of the speech made by the Chair at the reception:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen

As Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, I am delighted to welcome you all here to the Townhall, Enniskillen for this reception in honour of Daniel Knox.

Daniel, you studied at South West College and during your course you took up an apprenticeship with GP Electrical and Security Ltd.  It was your tutor and South West College who recognised your talent and encouraged you to enter the inter-college skills competition.

You went through an intensive selection programme and you were deservedly selected to join the Worldskills UK Team. Worldskills UK provided you with mentoring and training and ahead of the National Competition.

You travelled to Abu Dhabi and the Euroskills finals in Poland to further develop your skills and experience and in preparation for Worldskills Lyon.  In Poland you were recognised for reaching the European Standard in Electrical Installation which was an excellent achievement as Euroskills is Europe’s largest skills event.

In September 2024 you travelled to Lyon for the Worldskills, also known as the skills Olympics.  You were one of 1500 young people from 69 countries around the world competing over 4 days in front of approximately 250,000 spectators.  You kept your cool and let your outstanding talent shine through to be awarded the Medallion of Excellence in Electrical Installation.

This was a fantastic achievement as you have been recognised amongst the most skilled young people on the world by leading global industry experts.

This achievement is testament to your skills, hard work and commitment to continually learn about the ongoing developments in technology in relation to electrical installations.

The Worldskills competitions are designed to help young people grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills.  I am confident that you will have gained so much experience in this once in a lifetime opportunity and you will excel in your electrical career.

I would like to thank South West College and Gary Phair of GP Electrical and Security Ltd for encouraging you and providing you with the opportunity to further develop your skills and allow your talent to be recognised on the world stage.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to ensuring that our young people have the best start in life.  We are fortunate to have South West College in our District to provide our young people with opportunities to obtain a high standard of further and higher education.  The partnership working with local businesses, such as GP Electrical and Security Ltd, to enable our young people to undertake apprenticeships is also highly valuable.

On behalf of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, and on my own behalf, I congratulate you on winning the Medallion of Excellence.  You have done yourself, your family and friends, your College, your employer, your county and your District proud and  I wish you continued success for the future.

Thank you.