Dunedin plumber Scott Nicholson and hairdresser Laura Simpson (both 21) have been selected for the "Tool Blacks" team to compete in the WorldSkills competition in London next year.
The pair will join a group of 17 New Zealand tradespeople under 23 years old competing against peers from 50 countries.
Neither Mr Nicholson nor Ms Simpson have been to England before.
"I'm fully excited. It's going to be great," Mr Nicholson said this week.
"They're looking for precise measurements, a nice, clean job and safety consciousness. It has to be absolutely perfect."
The pair were selected for the "Tool Blacks" after training with an Otago-Southland team at a three-day practical knowledge national competition in Christchurch in September.
Their employers were also interviewed about their skills, attitude and willingness to learn.
Ms Simpson said she was training hard for the competition.
"They're looking for people who can learn and have their own take on things. They also make you work under pressure, to see how you cope."
WorldSkills New Zealand CEO Peter Spencer said the WorldSkills competition was established 60 years ago and was held every two years to promote trades skills.
"It's like the Olympic Games for trades and it's huge overseas. They had audiences of 50,000 people a day in Calgary last year."
WorldSkills will be held in London over five days in September next year.
