Entrants sought for London World Skills 2011

03/03/2010

Highly skilled young members of the Yorkshire and Humber workforce are being given the opportunity to represent their country at WorldSkills London 2011.

The WorldSkills Competition is the largest international skills competition in the world and is held every two years in one of its member countries. It sets world class standards in over 40 skill categories ranging from bricklaying to beauty therapy. 

The prestigious competition has been held at venues across the world, from Madrid to Montreal and from Tokyo to Taipei, and next year the competition will be held in London.

At the last WorldSkills Competition, in Calgary, Canada, Daniel Cain, 22, from Grimsby, won a Bronze Medal in Autobody Repair, and Luke Denby, 19, from Skipton, won a Medallion for Excellence in Landscape Gardening.

Daniel said: “WorldSkills was the greatest experience I’ve probably ever had. Seeing all the other skills competitors from around the world and being there as the best of the best gave me a great feeling.

He added: “This was a great opportunity for me to further my career and demonstrate my skills and passion for the work I do."

Another success story from Calgary 2009 was that of Harry Turner, whocontinued his role as the region’s WorldSkills expert and Team UK’s landscape gardening Training Manager.

Harry, Landscape Manager and Horticultural Lecturer at Askham Bryan College in York, highly recommends signing up to take part in the competition.

He said: “The young competitors gain valuable skills, knowledge and experience which will hopefully set them up for a bright future whether that be gaining a great job or deciding to set up their own enterprise. It’s a celebration of skills excellence and they all deserve our support and future success.”

Overall Team UK won 3 Gold Medals and 6 Bronze Medals at WorldSkills Calgary 2009, so expectations for WorldSkills London 2011 are high.

But the first step is registering for WorldSkills UK. Those people who are successful at the WorldSkills UK National Finals could be in with the chance to compete for Team UK at WorldSkills London 2011 which takes place at ExCeL, London between October 5 and 8, 2011.

The deadline for entering WorldSkills UK Competitions is March 19. To enter, please visit www.worldskillsuk.org. To compete at WorldSkills London 2011 entrants must be no more than 22 in the year of the competition.

There are a whole variety of different competitions across the Built Environment; Culture and Creative Arts; Engineering; Professional and Hospitality; and IT and Business Administration sectors - covering everything from Aeronautical Engineering to Beauty Therapy.

For more information on WorldSkills London 2011 please visit www.worldskillslondon2011.com

More information

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Murphy, Press Manager on 0113 3949904 or email Daniel.murphy@yorkshire-forward.com

Yorkshire Forward

Yorkshire Forward is the Regional Development Agency behind the economic regeneration of Yorkshire and Humber. It aims to make a positive difference by investing in jobs, improving towns and cities, and in supporting businesses throughout the region.

About WorldSkills UK

WorldSkills UK is the name for the UK’s premier set of skills competitions. These competitions are open to all ages.  

  • WorldSkills UK is led by UK Skills, a not-for-profit organisation that champions vocational skills and learning for work through competitions and awards. WorldSkills UK is supported by government, the Devolved Nations and a host of other partners across business, industry and the world of education and training. 
  • Competitions run every year in around 70 skills within these five main sectors:
    - Built Environment
    - Cultural and Creative Arts
    - Engineering
    - Information Technology and Business Administration
    - Professional, Social, Public and Hospitality Services.
  • In 2008, over 3,500 people registered to enter a WorldSkills UK competition.
  • Outstanding WorldSkills UK national finalists may be considered for inclusion in Squad and Team UK and a large proportion of the International competitors that represent the UK at WorldSkills come through the WorldSkills UK competition framework.
  • For most competitions, this is the last opportunity to enter to be in with a chance of competing at WorldSkills London 2011. For a comprehensive list of relevant competitions please visit www.worldskillsuk.uk.org

About the WorldSkills Competition

  • The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest international skills competition in the world, and is organised by WorldSkills International. 
  • Around 50 member countries send highly trained young people to compete in around 40 different vocational skills. 
  • The WorldSkills Competition happens every two years and the scale of the event is unrivalled with over 1000 competitors taking part. 
  • Young people are tested against tough international standards over the four day event, whilst their progress is watched by hundreds of thousands of visitors. 
  • The next WorldSkills competition will be held at ExCeL in London from 5th -8th October 2011. 
  • WorldSkills London 2011 competitors must be born on or after 1st January 1989, and for Mechatronics, Aeronautical Engineering and Engineering Challenge competitors must be born on or after 1st January 1986.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Murphy, Press Manager on 0113 3949904 or email Daniel.murphy@yorkshire-forward.com

Yorkshire Forward

  • Yorkshire Forward is the Regional Development Agency behind the economic regeneration of Yorkshire and Humber. It aims to make a positive difference by investing in jobs, improving towns and cities, and in supporting businesses throughout the region.