An Epsom apprentice is travelling to Abu Dhabi to take part in 'the Olympics of skills training'.

Shane Carpenter, an IT apprentice at Nescot College was picked to represent the UK in the WorldSkills global final this week.

‘WorldSkills’ is a vocational education and skills excellence competition which hopes to accelerate young people’s career and resolve some of the UK’s skills shortages.

Shane, the only Brit in the IT Network Administration category, said preparation for the event has taken more than two years and he expects to be tested on Microsoft, Cisco and Linux applications.

The UK team comprises of 34 members who are proud to represent the UK in categories such as visual merchandising, landscaping and cooking.

Suresh Kumar, a Nescot IT lecturer, said: “Shane is just one example of how taking part in ‘WorldSkills’ competitions can accelerate a young person’s career”

The event runs over five days, with the UK team competing in 51 categories, against 76 countries.

Shane, who spent time at a UK Olympian training facility at Loughborough University to develop mental and physical strength, said: “Being selected to represent the UK is an extraordinary feeling

“All the hard work and dedication towards training and preparing for the competition is paying off”.