WorldSkills London 2011, the largest skills competition ever staged globally, was recently hosted by the UK at ExCel London. Saint-Gobain Weber provided the tile fix and finishing materials for the Tile Association-sponsored Wall & Floor Tiling competition in which Team UK member Ian McMahon competed. The 22 year-old self-employed Irish tiler from County Derry, Northern Ireland, studied at the nearby North West Regional College with trainer David McCay. The college offers a strong vocational skills programme, and tiling courses up to NVQ Level 3 are popular and well supported. “Ian was a great competitor and has remained levelled and focused throughout a challenging period of training since his selection Team UK this summer,” comments David McCay. “It helps that he’s used to working with Weber’s materials as this is the college’s brand of choice so he’s familiar with their strengths and attributes.” Ian, who enjoys intricate work, has competed in the SkillBuild regional events since he was 18, consecutively winning gold medals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He also took bronze in the national SkillBuild final 2010. Ian is also City & Guild’s qualified and successfully completed Wall & Floor Tiling NVQ Level 3 this summer. The competition test piece challenged tilers to set out and fix Big Ben, The London Eye, a Union Flag and the River Thames. The floor area required screed and Big Ben had to be constructed before tiling commenced. Competitors were given 22 hours over four days to complete their task, with judging taking place at the end of each day against a pre-determined schedule. “It was my ambition to compete at WorldSkills London 2011,” says Ian. “I know my family is proud of my achievement even though I missed the medals. They think it’s great and have supported me throughout my training, and anyway, I just love competing.” Materials supplied by Saint-Gobain Weber, the UK formulator and manufacturer of innovative materials for the construction, civil engineering, tile and flooring sectors, included primer, adhesives and grouts from a comprehensive range of high performance technologies and solutions. WorldSkills is a biannual competition with global hosts.This year it attracted 1000 competitors from 51 nations, competing across 45 skills, and over 200,000 visitors throughout the four-day event. Ian was selected from over 1500 candidates for the 43-strong Team UK. “Being selected has really boosted my confidence and enhanced my technical abilities. I enjoyed the competition and meeting so many great competitors” comments Ian. The finale of this event was a dazzling closing ceremony at The O2 Arena, London. Ian scored 486 points out of a total of 500 and was presented with a Certificate of Participation but narrowly missed a Medallion for Excellence. Rachel Appleyard, Product Manager, Saint-Gobain Weber, applauded Ian’s performance: “Ian really did showcase his skills and professionalism and we are enormously proud of his achievement to compete at world class level.” Please call 08703 330070 for more information about Saint-Gobain Weber tiling solutions or visit www.netweber.co.uk and request a copy of the Weber Tiling Solutions handbook in hard copy or CD format.
