NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (Inc) (MITO)

Image URL: 

Image Caption: 

Christchurch Tool Black Jesse Clinton (centre) with His Excellency The Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, GMZM, QSO, Governor-General and MITO Chief Executive Janet Lane (right) at Government House recently.

Jesse Clinton from Elite Collision Care in Christchurch is one of the Tool Blacks chosen to represent New Zealand at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

After only one year in the automotive industry Jesse Clinton entered and won his category at the Canterbury WorldSkills Regional competition in 2008 - Autobody Repair - and went on to compete in last year’s WorldSkills National Finals, where he won the gold medal. In Calgary he will be competing against the best autobody repair apprentices in the world.

Jesse started his apprenticeship early in 2008 while working at Elite Collision Care. He is the 10th apprentice the firm has trained to date and the owner/manager Adam Stevenson believes Jesse has a big future in the industry. The whole firm is backing Jesse in his bid to come home from Calgary with a medal.

Jesse strongly encourages others to take part in WorldSkills competitions because he believes it is a great opportunity to be involved in a worldwide event which brings young technicians together.

This year’s competition will be the biggest event in WorldSkills' 59 year history, with more than 800 competitors from over 50 countries competing in around 40 categories.

For each of the 2009 Tool Blacks, the Calgary international event is an experience of a lifetime. The competition, held every two years, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, including industry leaders, educators, delegates and technical experts from around the world.

The NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (Inc) (MITO) is sponsoring half of the travel and accommodation costs for Jesse to compete at WorldSkills International Calgary 2009.

 For more information about WorldSkills New Zealand visit: www.worldskills.org.nz