From European screens to international stardom! This month, 22 year old Daniel Knox from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, went head-to-head with 30 other electricians from across the globe at WorldSkills 2024 in Lyon, France.
Daniel competed in SkillELECTRIC in 2022 and was chosen to represent the UK at EuroSkills 2023. After an amazing performance in Gdansk, Poland, he was awarded a Medallion for Excellence. On the back of this success, he was subsequently selected to join Team UK for the WorldSkills event this year.
Employed by GP Electrical and Security Ltd, at the event Daniel had to work under pressure on an extremely complex design and installation project, which included materials and techniques not normally encountered in the UK.
After ranking in an amazing 5th place globally, Daniel received the special Medallion for Excellence which is only given to the top performers alongside the gold, silver and bronze medal winners. To add to his accolades, out of the 31 competitors that comprised Team UK, Daniel scored most highly – this is an amazing achievement and rightly deserved.
We spoke to Daniel and his WorldSkills UK Training Manager Geoff Shaw shortly after the event:
Daniel: What was it like competing at WorldSkills?
The whole event was phenomenal. To say you’re within the top five in the world is a great statement to be able to make. I’m more than happy and proud of what I achieved, it makes it all worth the whole effort and time that you’ve put into training for it.
Looking back how do you feel the training and competition has benefitted you?
With the training I received on things like automation and control panels, that would be something that you would normally have to pay for. So that’s a huge benefit. It’s definitely made me a lot more confident in everything that I do, the speed at which I can do jobs has progressed massively and I now automatically work quicker without even realising.
How was it working with Geoff?
He’s a great guy. He’s very knowledgeable and we got on really close over the whole training period. He always wants the best for his competitors – he’s more than a training manager, we’ve formed a friendship out of it that’ll last long beyond WorldSkills.
Geoff: What are your views on Daniel’s performance?
Dan’s performance at the WorldSkills final was amazing, right from the start he was was focused and calm. We discussed and agreed a plan each morning and every day Dan executed the plan to the letter, maximising the time available to score in different aspects. The fact that Dan also scored higher than any other UK competitor is a testament to just how difficult and close the electrical competition was.
What do you have to say to Daniel for the future?
I am so proud of Dan and his achievements; he truly is an ambassador for our industry at 21 years old he has gained and mastered skills well beyond his age. He is a credit to himself and his family. Whatever the future holds for Dan I’m sure it will be a bright one, and I wish him all the best.
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