Britain’s EuroSkills competitors have secured one gold and three bronze medals, as well as seven medallions of excellence.  

That means the 22 young people have achieved WorldSkills UK’s  target of a top 10 position in the final medal table at Budapest 2018, placing ninth of 27 countries.

Beauty therapy competitor Holly-Mae Cotterall, from Reds Hair Company, was awarded the gold medal in tonight’s closing ceremony. 

Bronze medals went to mechatronics competitors Danny Slater and Jack Dakin, apprentices at Toyota Manufacturing UK, Ross Megahy, from New College Lanarkshire, who competed in mechanical engineering CAD, and Gavin Jon Kyte, Reds Hair Company, Team UK’s hairdressing competitor. 

Medallions of excellence are awarded to those competitors that have achieved the highest international standard in their skill. 

Three days of competition

The medals were awarded in a glittering closing ceremony at Budapest’s Papp László Budapest Sportaréna. All of the UK’s competitors completed three gruelling days of challenges in their respective skills. 

At the last EuroSkills competition in Gothenburg in 2016, Team UK achieved its best ever EuroSkills results, winning a total of five medals. The UK finished seventh in the final medal table for average points scored per competitor.

And at last year’s WorldSkills in Abu Dhabi, Britain’s young competitors secured seven medals, including one gold. 

Dr Neil Bentley, chief executive of WorldSkills UK, said: “This is a fantastic result for Team UK and the country as a whole. These brilliant young people - training and preparing them to be among the very best across Europe -are the UK’s new generation of high flyers.”

Team UK’s medals and medallions

• Gold: Beauty Therapy (Holly-Mae Cotterall, Reds Hair Company)
• Bronze: Mechatronics (Danny Slater and Jack Dakin, Toyota Manufacturing UK)
• Bronze: Mechanical Engineering CAD (Ross Megahy, New College Lanarkshire)
• Bronze: Hairdressing (Gavin Jon Kyte, Reds Hair Company)
• Medallion: ICT Specialists (Cameron Barr, Nescot and Shane Carpenter, Nescot and BAE Systems)
• Medallion: Cooking (Nicolle Finnie, City of Glasgow College)
• Medallion:  Floristry (Elizabeth Newcombe, Guildford College of Further and Higher Education and Rhubarb and Bramley)
• Medallion:  Welding (Scott Kerr, Coleg Menai and PFS)
• Medallion: Plumbing and Heating (Matthew Barton, Kendall College and WE Barton)
• Medallion:  Restaurant Services (Collette Gorvett, Gower College and The Ritz)
• Medallion: Joinery (Christopher Caine, Pembrokeshire College and DH Carpentry and Joinery)