CWO Apprentice Awarded Medallion of Excellence at WorldSkills 2009

CWO is delighted to announce that apprentice stonemason Oli Clack has been awarded a Medallion of Excellence at the skills equivalent of the Olympics – the WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada.

Oli, aged 21, is a member of Team UK – a team of 26 skilled young people from across the UK who spent four days competing for a prestigious WorldSkills title. In addition to three gold and six bronze medals, the UK was also awarded 14 Medallions of Excellence given to competitors who achieve at least 500 points, deemed the world class standard.

Oli Clack said: “This is the most fantastic feeling. To have competed against the best young stonemasons in the world was an amazing experience in itself, but to win a Medallion for Excellence in the trade I love is just incredible:  I really do feel on top of the world!   The last year has been absolutely brilliant.  To have been given the chance to learn what I’m capable of, to train with some of the best in the industry and to be part of such a great team has been unbelievable.  I can’t wait to bring home my medallion to show to all my friends and family back in the UK. There are so many people I’d like to thank including all of my family and friends for being so supportive, my wonderful girlfriend, boss and college lecturers. Also a very special thanks to Kevin Calpin who has been a brilliant friend and trainer and everyone at CWO.”

Oli follows in the footsteps of other CWO apprentices; the company has a great history in this event with Nicholas Horton receiving a bronze medal in 1978 and Tim Neller winning gold in Japan in 1974.  

Bernard Burns, Managing Director of CWO commented: “We are extremely proud of Oli, the Medal of Excellence is a significant international accolade and he is an inspiration to us all.  He has clearly demonstrated how highly skilled he is and to represent the UK at this top level is an impressive achievement, Everyone at CWO congratulates Oli for all his hard work.”

The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry.  Brathay provide and support the training and development of Squad and Team UK.