Luke Denby dreams of running his own small landscaping business. He sailed through the squad selection for WorldSkills and received a Medallion for Excellence for his efforts.

Luke found out about WorldSkills whilst at college and entered into the regional competition. After achieving success at the regional competition he then went on to compete in the national competition where he finished in third place. Harry Turner, the WorldSkills expert, decided to take Luke to a training session because of the potential he’d shown during the competition. After the training session Luke’s talent began to shine and he sailed through the squad selection. He then teamed up with another competitor, William Gadd, for the team selection competition and after winning that then made it into Team UK.

Luke’s preparation for WorldSkills involved more than just landscaping. He also spent a lot of time in the gym getting fit and had to make some changes to his diet to ensure that he was in peak physical condition.

With four main parts to the garden design which had to be completed over the 22 hours of competition, the landscaping team stuck to their strengths. Luke focused on the water feature and stepping stones as these were most suited to his skills.

Luke believes that his experiences at WorldSkills has left him with skills beyond his years. “I’m much better at my job now. I’m only 19 but I can do things way beyond other people of my age.” explained Luke. He also hopes to inspire other kids, and help them understand that there are a variety of routes. First stop, his mum’s primary school where he’ll be a guest speaker at the next assembly.