UK team accept awards from Steve Cram for WorldSkills efforts
February 11, 2008
(
watch Steve's speech here
)
The team travelled to Shizuoka in Japan last November to take part in the four day
competition and competed against over 800 competitors from 46 nations in skills including
engineering, landscape gardening, graphic design, hairdressing and beauty therapy. (
watch the team in action
)
The reception provided the UK team organisers, UK Skills, the opportunity to recognise the
great achievements of the team, who took 11th place overall in the competition and in total won a
gold, a silver, two bronzes and nine medallions of excellence. It was also a chance to thank the
teams many supporters, from their training managers to team leaders, sponsors and employees, all of
whom contributed to the team’s success.
Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills said: “What these young people have
accomplished is fantastic and we had to make sure that we celebrated this achievement. The team
have proved that there is talent in this country which can take on the best in the World and each
and every member of the team deserves to feel very proud of themselves. However we couldn’t do this
without the network of support that the team has received. Their employers make this all possible
and we send our thanks to them too.
“That the team were recently recognised by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for
Innovation, Universities and Skills at Number 10 shows just how important the WorldSkills
competition is for promoting skills in this country. We hope that the success of the team will
inspire other skilled young people and their employers to get involved in skills competitions this
year.”
Steve Cram MBE commented: “In my career you have to have determination and drive
to achieve results and that’s exactly what I saw when I met with the team. Each person is
exceptionally skilled in their respective fields and is committed to improving themselves and their
careers. It is very humbling to know you are standing with some of the most talented young people
in the World. My congratulations go out to them all.”
WorldSkills is held every two years, and UK Skills are currently inviting entries for 70
WorldSkills UK competitions taking place this year. Winners will have the chance to be considered
for selection to represent the UK at WorldSkills 2009 in Canada and in the new EuroSkills
competition in The Netherlands this year. The closing date for entries is 28th February. For
further information on how to enter, please call the competition hotline on 0800 612 0742 or visit
www.worldskillsuk.org.
The UK WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Scottish Government, the Department for Employment and
Learning Northern Ireland, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education,
government and industry.
Supporters of the 2007 WorldSkills team included; City & Guilds, the Learning and Skills
Council, the Quality Improvement Agency, Honda, L’Oréal Professionnel, Snickers Workwear and
Brathay.
Ends -
Images and quotes from individual competitors are available on request.
Contact details
Colin Levy at UK Skills via email:
colin.levy@ukskills.org.uk or telephone: 0207 612
9260.
Kathryn Crookenden at UK Skills via email:
kathryn.crookenden@ukskills.org.uk or
telephone: 0207 612 9261.
Notes for editors
1. About WorldSkills
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 from 51 member nations test
themselves against tough international standards. The ultimate prizes are gold, silver and bronze
medals. Medallions of Excellence are also awarded to those young people who achieve or exceed the
World Class score of 500 points out of a maximum of 600 across the four days of competition.
Locations of previous and future WorldSkills competitions and the UK results for these:
2003: St. Gallen, Switzerland (where the UK finished in 15th place)
2005: Helsinki, Finland (where the UK finished in 12th place)
2007: Shizuoka, Japan (where the UK has now finished in 11th place)
2009: Calgary, Canada
2011: London, UK
The UK team won four medals at WorldSkills 2007: Gary Tuddenham won the gold medal for
cabinet making and had the third equal highest score out of all the competitors at the competition;
Harry Smith won a silver medal for graphic design technology; Jonathan Lloyd won bronze for car
painting; and Simon Noble won bronze in autobody repair. In addition nine Medallions of Excellence
were awarded to UK competitors.
2. About UK Skills
UK Skills is a not-for-profit organisation which champions skills and learning for work
through competitions and awards. The organisation was established in 1990 with the primary purpose
of raising skill levels in the UK through skills competitions and managing the UK team which
competes in the WorldSkills Competition. In recent years we have widened the scope of our
operations to include management of the National Training Awards and organising of other skills
related events.
3. UK Skills would like to thank the following organisations in supporting the UK team for
the 39th WorldSkills Competition:
City & Guilds is the expert and leading authority in vocational education and training -
both in the UK and beyond.
In operation for the last 130 years, City & Guilds is the UK’s leading awarding body for
work-related qualifications.
Twenty million people in the UK have City & Guilds qualifications, and the organisation
awards a further 1.5 million qualifications to learners every year.
City & Guilds also enables people to develop essential leadership and management skills
through its Institute of Leadership and Management, which is the largest provider of management
qualifications in Europe.
City & Guilds creates prosperity from skills for individuals, business and nations within
and beyond the workplace.
City & Guilds
“The LSC exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. We are responsible for
ensuring the availability of high-quality education and training for everyone. We have a single
goal: to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to world class standards. Our
vision is that young people and adults in England have knowledge and skills matching the best in
the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. We work nationally, regionally and locally
to deliver this ambition on behalf of learners and employers.”
Learning and Skills Council
The Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) facilitates and champions excellence and innovation in
the further education system by accelerating improvement in performance, building the system’s
capacity for self-improvement and helping it respond to strategic reforms.
Quality Improvement Agency
“Honda’s commitment to personal development is exemplified by its benchmark training centre,
The Honda Institute, venue for a series of UK Skills training and preparation events for
WorldSkills 2007, Shizuoka.”
Honda
At L'Oréal Professionnel we are passionate in our belief that the promotion of excellence is
a fundamental key to success within the hairdressing profession. Our whole education strategy is
encapsulated under the banner Dream,Excel,Succeed…Together and we are proud to be the exclusive
sponsor of the UK's hairdressing competitor training programme for WorldSkills Japan 2007.
L’Oréal Professionnel
The WorldSkills 2007 UK team casual uniforms are provided by Snickers Workwear.
“Working closely with Competitors and WorldSkills Training Managers, Brathay has used its
expertise in people development and experiential learning to enhance the 2007 UK WorldSkills
training and preparation programme.”
Brathay