Flag flying Lucas in welding skills UK final

FOURTH-year fabrication and welding engineering apprentice Lucas Moon will be flying the flag for YLF and Castleford College later this month after landing a place in the finals of WorldSkills UK 2022.

Lucas is one of 10 finalists in the SkillsWeld competition who will be competing for gold, silver and bronze from November 15-18 at Middlesbrough College. He won through to the finals after previously competing in the regional heats for the SkillsWeld competition hosted by Castleford College in July.

WorldSkills supports young people across the world via competitions-based training, assessment and benchmarking, with members’ national teams ultimately testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘Skills Olympics’.

Welding is one of 63 skills that are tested in the WorldSkills UK competition, the finals for which are taking place at six colleges across the UK involving some 500 finalists.

Although nervous for the final, Lucas said he is “incredibly happy to be a finalist in such a prestigious and globally recognised competition as WorldSkills.”

He added: “Taking part in the competition has boosted my confidence and expanded my skillset as an aspiring engineer and is a great addition to my CV. I would like to thank my tutors for their help in preparing me for the competition and hope that my hard work will pay off on the day.”

Lucas’ Fabrication and Welding Lecturer, Gary Wright said: “It was great to be able to hold the regional qualifiers for the SkillsWeld competition at Castleford College. The competition was fierce and the judges praised the quality of work on show, but Lucas earned his slot in the final. He has worked extremely hard throughout the competition and has demonstrated an amazing skillset. We’re incredibly proud of him and wish him the best of luck for the final.”

Yorkshire Laser and Fabrication has a long association with the college. Fabrication Shop Foreman Paul Moon who is also Lucas’ dad, attended when it was known as Whitwood College as did MD Matt Orford.

Matt commented: “A huge well done to Lucas for making it through to the final of such a prestigious competition. All of us at Yorkshire Laser and Fabrication are rooting for him, confident that the skills and experience he has gained during his apprenticeship will stand him in good stead.”