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Empey urges Northern Ireland skilled people to participate in WorldSkills

12 March 2010

Sir Reg Empey, the Employment and Learning Minister, is calling for all skilled young people in Northern Ireland to sign up for this season’s WorldSkills UK competitions.

The competitions are designed to find the best skilled people and annually attract up to 4000 skilled participants in 70 skill categories ranging from landscape gardening, autobody repair and painting and decorating to floristry, hairdressing and IT.

Sir Reg wants to see more people enter: “Here we have a great number of skilled young people, and I want to encourage more to get involved so we can show the rest of the country just how talented Northern Ireland is.  What’s great about WorldSkills UK competitions is that they play a key part in lifting standards of training and performance while promoting world class skills and now more than ever, skilled industries are crucial to the future success of our economy.  I would like to urge anyone who is skilled to enter online by Friday 19 March 2010 at www.worldskillsuk.org.”

Entrants from this year’s competitions may be selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills London 2011, being held at The Excel between 5 – 8 October.  WorldSkills London 2011 is the biggest skills competition in the world and rivals the Olympics in size.  Approximately 1,200 competitors will take part from 50 countries/regions over a total of four days of tough competition.  The UK is currently placed 7th in the world, having won three gold medals, six bronze medals and 14 medallions for excellence at the last WorldSkills event held in Calgary in September of last year. One bronze winner last year was the joiner Trevor Woods from Fermanagh.

Notes to editors:

  1. Past winners of the WorldSkills UK competitions have gone on to gain promotions in their company, become managers, set up their own businesses and work for some of the best companies in the world.  The benefits of entering are endless, especially in the current economic climate when employers are looking for that ‘something special’ on CVs.
  2. WorldSkills UK are quality assured skills competitions which are run annually and aim to encourage young people and adults across the UK to excel in their vocational skill area.  There are 70 skills competition categories in five main sectors: Built Environment, Cultural and Creative Arts, Engineering, Information Technology and Business Administration, and Professional, Social, Public and Hospitality Services.
  3. WorldSkills UK competitions run both regionally and nationally each year across the UK and aim to help lift standards of training and performance promoting world class skills and international competitiveness.  Outstanding WorldSkills UK National Finalists may be considered for potential inclusion in a shortlist for the team that goes on to represent the UK at a WorldSkills Competition.  Further details on which WorldSkills UK competitions link with the international event WorldSkills can also be found by visiting www.worldskillsuk.org.
  4. 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.  WorldSkills UK is an integral part of the legacy being developed by UK Skills as part of its work for WorldSkills London 2011, an international competition being hosted by the UK in October 2011.
  5. For a full list of competitions, please visit www.worldskillsuk.org.
  6. About WorldSkills UK:
    • WorldSkills UK is the name for the UK’s premier set of skills competitions.  These competitions
      are open to all ages.
    • 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.org.
  7. 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.
  8. About UK Skills www.ukskills.org.uk external link:
    UK Skills, a not for profit organisation, manages the delivery of innovative, high profile
    competitions and awards which showcase excellence and demonstrate how exceptional  
    performance improves individual and organisational success.
    Established in 1990, UK Skills works to raise the profile of skills in the UK and oversee the UK’s
    premier set of skills competitions, WorldSkills UK.
    UK Skills also manages the UK team entry to WorldSkills, the biggest skills competition in theworld.  Most recently UK Skills spearheaded the bid to bring WorldSkills to London in 2011.
    WorldSkills London 2011 will be a truly global showcase for skills and young people from
    across the world.
    UK Skills also manages the National Training Awards which celebrate exemplary training in the workplace; from coordinating the awards famously robust judging processes to organising celebration events across the UK.  UK Skills works on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to shine a spotlight on those who have made a difference to their organisation through training.
  9. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Employment and Learning Communications Branch on 028 9025 7872.  Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.