Libby Wilson

Samba, humidity and lots and lots of sheetmetal were part of Michael Benson’s first trip out of New Zealand.

After about two years of training for WorldSkills competitions, the 22-year-old Hamilton apprentice was due a holiday.

So he took the chance after a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to compete at world level.

WorldSkills is often described as an olympics of the trades and includes categories such as aircraft maintenance, floristry, restaurant trades, and web and graphic design.

Benson, who grew up in Thames, was one of about 1300 contestants in the international competition, held in September in Brazil.

The Kiwi Tool Blacks took 15 young tradespeople over, including three from the Waikato.

After winning his way through the regional, national and Oceania competitions, Benson, a Stainless Design Ltd apprentice, went to the world competition in August.

He came back with a medallion of excellence for fourth place and a heap of new experiences.

‘‘[It was a] bit of an eye-opener to the rest of the world,’’ he said.

‘‘Humidity is the first thing that comes to mind. You’re sitting at 85 per cent humidity at 25 degrees.’’

The Tool Blacks had a couple of days in Rio de Janeiro before heading to Sao Paulo.

They took in a samba show and later learned some Latin American history through the WorldSkills opening ceremony.

Benson was surprised to see Brazilian police officers had pistols, and he caught a subway train for the first time in Sao Paulo ‘‘with probably 500 other people’’.

The team members were told many of the staff at the hotels came from the favelas, or slums.

The four days of competition disappeared fast, Benson said.

His challenge was to plan and make an outdoor fireplace that went from a hexagonal base into a rounded flue – from plans to fabrication.

It was similar to what competitors made in the Oceania competition, and Benson had put in countless hours with Stainless Design head trainer Scott Pritchard.

In April, he described his days in the lead-up to the Oceania WorldSkills competition, held at Wintec.

‘‘I’d come in [to work] at five o’clock in the morning and do an hour’s training. Then I’d do, usually, a 10-hour day of work, and then leading up to the competition I’ve been staying at work in the afternoons until about 8pm, 8.30pm.’’

Weekend training was brought in as the worlds got closer, and he

Don’t get me wrong, the pressure’s still there, but at the international stage you’re, like, well, I’ve made it ... let’s just enjoy what I’ve got.

estimates he made 10 or 12 practice fireplaces.

‘‘Now that I’ve come back [from Brazil], I’m like, what do I do with myself? There’s all this freedom,’’ Benson said.

Although he trained hard, some candidates weren’t working and had been training full time, he said.

As such, they faced huge pressure to get a result, whereas Benson went in with a relaxed Kiwi attitude.

‘‘Regionals were probably the most stressful because it was the beginning,’’ he said.

‘‘Don’t get me wrong, the pressure’s still there, but at the international stage you’re, like, well, I’ve made it ... let’s just enjoy what I’ve got.’’

Kiwi competitors had also been given mental toughness training to help them stay calm during the competition.

And once the competition was over, Benson got a long-awaited holiday – with his parents.

They visited famous sights such as Inca monument Machu Picchu and the Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina.

Benson’s WorldSkills trip was sponsored by Competenz, Hand Tool House, BOC, Timpack and Stainless Design Ltd.

The other Waikato Tool Blacks who went to Brazil were Morrinsville’s David Fox, autobody repair, and Chelcie Kuriger, automotive technology.