It has been announced today (30th June) at an exclusive event held at the House of Lords, that 26 young men and women from across the country have been chosen as members of Team UK, a team of skilled young people, who will fly to Canada in September to compete at WorldSkills Calgary 2009 - the largest skills based competition there is - in skills ranging from plumbing to landscape gardening and IT. The team was welcomed by James Cracknell, OBE and Chris Humphries, CBE, UK Skills Chairman.

At WorldSkills over 200,000 spectators are expected to watch a total of over 900 competitors from 51 countries, competing in skills ranging from bricklaying to landscape gardening, cooking and floristry. Independent education foundation Edge is the official supporter of both Squad UK and Team UK, as part of its commitment to raising the status of practical and vocational learning. Visit the site - www.worldskillsteamuk.org/

This year, the members of Team UK are:

- Aircraft Maintenance - Stewart Wright, 24, from Northampton, who serves with the Royal Navy
- Autobody Repair - Daniel Cain, 22, from Grimsby, who works for Just Car Clinics
- Automobile Technology - Dean Jones, 20, from Swansea, who works for Mercedes-Benz of Swansea
- Beauty Therapy - Charlotte Burford, 22, from Stafford, who works for Tranquility @ Esporta Stafford and who attends South Staffordshire College
- Bricklaying - Sam Fairgrieve, 21, from Leicester who works for Jelson Homes Ltd
- Cabinetmaking - Luke Griffiths, 21, from Chichester, who works for Cimitree Furniture and also teaches at Chichester College
- Car Painting - Zak McLaughlan, 19, from Denham, who works for Solus Accident Repair Centres and who attends Thatcham College
- Carpentry - Cliff Williams, 21, from Talley, Wales, who is self employed
- CNC Milling - Christopher Coates, 21, from Wilmslow, who works for Bentley Motors
- Confectioner/Pastry Cook - Alistair Birt, 21, from Uxbridge, who studies at Thames Valley University
- Cooking - Adam Smith, 21, from Orpington, who works at The Ritz Hotel
- Electrical Installations - Richard Sagar, 22, from Langholm, who works for Eden Electrics
- Floristry - Joe Massie, 21, from Liverpool, who works for Fishlocks Florist
- Ladies/Mens Hairdressing - Linzi Weare, 19, from Berry Hill, who works at Reds Hair Company
- Electronics - Melanie Adlam, 22, from St Albans, who is a student at the University of Bristol and who works for MBDA UK
- IT PC & Network Support - Hugo Landau, 19, from St Albans, who is a student at Barnfield College
- Jewellery - Adam Claridge, 21, from Robertsbridge, who works for Spectrum Fine Jewellery
- Joinery - Trevor Woods, 20, from Co. Fermanagh, who works for McAleer & Teague and attends Omagh College
- Landscape Gardening - Luke Denby, 18, from Skipton who works for Roderick French Groundworks and attends Craven College and William Gadd, 21, from Thurston who works for The Country Life Landscapes and attends Otley College
- Mechanical Engineering Design – CAD - Martin Eusebi, 21, from Glasgow, who works for MB Aerospace Ltd and attends Motherwell College
- Painting & Decorating - Mark Nevin, 21, from Edinburgh, who works for Nevin of Edinburgh
- Plumbing & Heating - Christopher Lonsdale, 22 , Bishop, Auckland, who is self employed
- Restaurant Service - Katie Watson, 21, from Hamilton, who works at the Gleneagles Hotel
- Stonemasonry - Oliver Clack, 21, from Chichester, who works for Cathedral Works Organisation and who attends Weymouth College
- Web Design - Richard Edwards, 19, from Milton Keynes who is a student at Milton Keynes College and works at Ted Baker

Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, who manage Team UK said 'We are very pleased to welcome each and every member of Team UK. The quality and dedication all our competitors demonstrated during the selection process was of the highest level, but the exceptional work that these 26 individuals carried out proved to judges that they had what it takes to be part of Team UK and represent their country. Being selected for the Team however does not mean it’s time to relax. From now until September the Team will need to train hard to make sure that they are up to the world class standard they need to be at, to be able to compete against the best young skilled people in the world. We wish them luck in their final months of training.'

Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said: “This team of talented young people are determined to make a difference in their careers and will represent the UK in showing the rest of the world just how talented our country is.

'In these tougher times it’s more important than ever that we continue to support and invest in the skills of our workforce, helping individuals get into and stay on at work as well as helping businesses stay competitive and prepare for the upturn.'

James Cracknell 'Double Olympic Gold medallist and adventurer' commented 'I am delighted to be here today to have met so many members of the team who will represent the UK at the WorldSkills Competition in Calgary. Each of the 26 young men and women who have been selected should be rightly proud of their achievements. There is no greater thrill than representing your country. When they get to Calgary it will be the end of a very long journey as each and every one of them has already undertaken months and months of rigorous training. It will also be the start of another journey, for competing at this level will catapult their careers to a new level. I wish them the very best of luck in the competition.'

WorldSkills Calgary 2009 takes place from 1st-6th September. There are 26 members of Team UK, who will compete in 25 skill categories.

The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry. Brathay provide and support the training and development of Squad and Team UK. City & Guilds, the UK’s leading provider of work-related qualifications, support Squad and Team UK. 

For more information, please contact:
Alaine Biggs – Praise PR 07957 344 547 alaine@praisepr.co.uk  
Eddie Blower – Praise PR 07968 983 553 eddie@praisepr.co.uk
Vikki Light – UK Skills 0207 612 9260 vikki.light@ukskills.org.uk  

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About UK Skills www.ukskills.org.uk

- 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 the world. 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.

About WorldSkills - www.worldskills.org

The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition in the world and is held every two years in one of its member countries. Its sets world class standards in over 40 skill categories ranging from cabinet making to web design.

Over four days of tough competition, young people drawn now from 51 member nations test themselves against tough international standards. The ultimate prizes are gold, silver and bronze medals.

Locations of previous and future WorldSkills competitions:

- 2003: St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 2005: Helsinki, Finland
- 2007: Shizuoka, Japan
- 2009: Calgary, Canada
- 2011: London, UK

About WorldSkills Calgary - www.worldskills2009.com

- Calgary will host the 40th WorldSkills Competition, from September 1 to 6, 2009.
- UK Skills is responsible for selecting and training UK candidates for WorldSkills.
- The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry.

About Edge - www.edge.co.uk

- Edge is an independent education foundation. It is dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning, so that all young people have the opportunity to achieve their potential, and the UK’s future workforce is equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern economy. Edge believes that ‘learning by doing’ is as important as academic learning, and that there are many paths to success.

About Brathay - www.brathay.org

- Brathay Hall Trust is a national charity that empowers young people to make a positive contribution to society. At the heart of Brathay is their work with young people; to develop successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. This was the basis on which Brathay was first founded 60 years ago and remains in place today.

- Brathay People in Organisations inspires people in teams to improve performance and increase the leadership capacity of their organisations. They deliver team and leadership development programmes to the Children’s Workforce, as well as large private sector clients nationally and globally. All profits generated from Brathay’s corporate work goes to support their charitable work with young people

About City & Guilds - www.cityandguilds.com

- City & Guilds is the UK’s leading provider of work-related qualifications. City & Guilds works closely with industry and employers and offers over 500 qualifications in 28 different industry areas, through colleges, training providers and employers