Miguel Harvey, a 21-year-old Paint Technician with Steer Automotive Group in Stratford-Upon-Avon, is leaving nothing to chance with his preparations for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, after he was forced to pull out of EuroSkills in 2023 due to an injury.
“When I was told I had made Team UK, I had tears in my eyes. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and after the disappointment of last year I am determined to give it my all in France”, explains Miguel.
Growing up in the Midlands, Miguel was unsure what he wanted to do but with a love of cars, he secured an apprenticeship with Steer Automotive Group even though he was too young to drive.
Spotting Miguel’s talent early on in his apprenticeship, his manager put him forward for the IMI / WorldSkills UK competitions. He secured a place in the Nationals Finals in 2022 after excelling in the regional qualifiers, where he was invited to join the international training programme.
“I didn’t realise you could do competitions in your skill, until Steer asked me to take part in the competitions run by WorldSkills UK and IMI. I wasn’t sure what to expect and certainly didn’t realise the scale of the events, but I’ve loved every minute of competing. It has pushed me outside of my comfort zone which has really helped me to develop as a Paint Technician.”
As part of his preparation for WorldSkills Lyon, Miguel has travelled all over the world and participated in competitions in Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Describing these as ‘fantastic experiences’, Miguel explains it has been a steep learning curve but with each training session, he says he is closer to being ‘competition ready’ for Lyon.
Miguel is already seeing the benefits at work of his WorldSkills UK training. “If a new problem arises, they now say ask Miguel, he may have covered this in WorldSkills training and there is no better feeling than that”, he explains. He is hugely grateful for the support that Steer has given him during his competition journey.
As well as the pride of excelling in his work, Miguel says he is equally proud of representing the UK in a global competition. “Following the Olympics in Paris, it will be Team UK’s chance to shine on the world stage, and we are ready for it”.
Team UK, powered by WorldSkills UK in partnership with Pearson.
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