Dan Martins of Briggs and Forrester Group has been selected to represent Team UK in this year’s WorldSkills Finals, held in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Martins has been working hard towards this goal for two years, since his training provider, EAS Mechanical, entered him into regional heats.

Eamon Wilson, managing director of EAS, said: “When we first started training Mr Martins on his Level 2 apprenticeship, not only was he bright in the classroom but his practical skills were the best we had seen in long time.

“We knew we had something special so we entered him in the regional competitions, then to national level and it’s gone on from there, one step at a time. I must also acknowledge Paul Dodds, his WorldSkills coach, who has excelled in mentoring Mr Martins up to another level to reach the final.”

Mr Martins will be competing against tradespeople from 30 other countries in the finals as part of Team UK, who will be going through rigorous Olympic-style training in preparation for the finals.

Briggs and Forrester Group has also supported Mr Martins throughout his journey. Pete Curtis, labour manager at the company, said: “We are extremely proud of what he has achieved so far. We have supported Mr Martins throughout the process because we too could see his potential but also how this impacts him and future apprentices in our business. It gives a great feel around the company, which encourages other apprentices to push harder to achieve their own goals.”