Oli Clack, an apprentice with Cathedral Works Organisation in Chichester, Sussex, will represent British stonemasonry at WorldSkills this year in Calgary, Canada, in September.

Oli’s success follows weeks of gruelling training, which started in January. After a tough four-day competition held at Stephenson College in Coalville last month (June), Oli, one of 65 original stonemasonry competitors, was chosen as a member of Team UK.

Oli says of his success: “I’m so excited to have made it to the final. To be in the running was good enough but to have come this far is amazing!

“The training’s been tough and there’s still a lot of hard work left to do, but I’m really looking forward to visiting Calgary and taking part in such a huge event.

“The thought of it makes me so proud of myself. It’s such a leap from what my life was like two years ago. I’m just really grateful to CWO for giving me this opportunity and for supporting me all the way.”

Oli will be one of 26 skilled young people from across the UK who will fly to Canada to compete for a WorldSkills title.

Oli and the rest of the team were welcomed by James Cracknell, OBE, and Chris Humphries, UK Skills Chairman, at an event at the House of Lords last month.

From now until he leaves for Calgary in September Oli will be in training for the event.

WorldSkills International (formerly known as the Skill Olympics) takes place every two years with finalists competing in a wide range of vocational skills, ranging from bricklaying to landscape gardening, cooking, floristry and, of course, stonemasonry.