A YOUNG welder is travelling Brazil to take part in an international competition.

Reece Taylor, 22, from Consett, is competing in WorldSkills, in São Paulo, from August 11-16.

He was selected to represent Team UK in Welding after excelling in Squad UK and the WorldSkills UK National Skills Competitions.

He said: “It is a huge honour and it still really hasn’t sunk in.

“The support and training from staff at Derwentside College and my employer, Dyer Engineering, has helped me to this final stage of the competition."

WorldSkills is the largest international skills competition in the world and is held every two years with around 1,000 young people, aged 18-25, from all over the world.

Steve Chambers, Engineering Lecturer at Derwentside College said: “He watched, he questioned and he excelled. We are extremely proud of how far Reece has come."