Wanted: Young Engineers!
13/01/2009- Young engineers are invited to put themselves forward for a chance to represent the UK against the best in the world in a thousand days’ time. Entries open today for the network of regional and national WorldSkills UK skills competitions. The competitions cover 70 skills and are open to young people and adults. In addition many of the competitions, including engineering (CNC milling, CAD CAM, Mechanical Engineering and Welding to name a few) could lead to selection into Team UK, who will take part in the largest global skills competition, WorldSkills, which in 2011 is being hosted in London.
Chief executive Simon Bartley said: “In a thousand days’ time, on 6 October 2011, the young people of Team UK will be starting their first day of competition at WorldSkills London 2011. This is a huge event involving about a thousand young people from more than 50 nations competing over four days to complete their projects under intense time pressure. Many of the skills that will form part of the competition at WorldSkills London 2011 are ones that are crucial to London successfully hosting the 2012 Olympic Games which starts a mere 294 days after WorldSkills begins. Construction skills like welding and plumbing are all needed to create the Games’ infrastructure while hospitality events like restaurant service and cooking are needed so the UK can cater for the influx of thousands of visitors.
“The majority of our WorldSkills competitors will have been identified from the top achievers from this years’ WorldSkills UK competitions. We need the best of our skilled talent to enter these competitions so we can pick the best of the best for our 2011 team.
“Altogether there are about 70 skills that come under the WorldSkills UK umbrella. Forty of these are in skills that the UK competes in at an international level. I would encourage anyone interested in getting involved to visit www.worldskillsuk.org for more details.”
Entries close on 9 April 2009 with heats and national finals taking place over the spring and summer. Gold medal winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony in the autumn.
Information on entry criteria and competitions for individual skills can be found at http://www.worldskillsuk.org
Skills Minister Lord Young said: “WorldSkills UK competitions support the government’s skills strategy by helping to raise standards of training and performance, promoting world class skills and international competitiveness. This is vital in the current economic climate, and initiatives like WorldSkills UK ensure we maximise our skills talent so that the UK is well placed for the future.”