Learnings from WorldSkills Lyon and beyond

This report produced by WorldSkills UK in partnership with Pearson, brings together insights gained by benchmarking UK skills against international standards through our involvement in WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

Team UK’s top ten finish in Lyon, shows that we know what it takes to reach the highest global standards in technical and vocational skills, which are critical for the UK economy. However, our experience and insights also show that the UK can learn from other countries to raise standards in technical education and apprenticeships even further.

Part one explains how WorldSkills UK uses its role in WorldSkills to gather insights and the importance of international benchmarking.

Part two sets out three short international case studies explaining how Brazil, Austria and Switzerland use employer links to ensure high standards in their technical skills development.

Part three details the specific insights our international skills experts have gathered from WorldSkills Lyon and beyond.

Part four explains how our broad range of programmes give young people from all backgrounds access to world-class skills development and how educators and employers can get involved.

WorldSkills UK and Pearson are committed to working with education, industry and governments to harness these insights and raise standards in technical education and apprenticeships.

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Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK 
The purpose of this report is to share the insights from WorldSkills Lyon so that we can help embed world-class skills development into the grass roots of technical education right across the UK, to benefit thousands of young people as they start their careers. 

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Freya Thomas Monk, Managing Director, Vocational Qualifications & Training, Pearson plc  
The outstanding performance of young people in the UK’s skills system this year is a true point of pride. But ensuring the next generation has access to the opportunities they deserve will take a united effort – providers, employers, educators, and policymakers working together.