Talented apprentices and learners to compete at Europe’s largest skills competition.
There may be high hopes for our football teams in Euro 2016 this summer but for the UK’s top apprentices and learners there is only one European competition that matters, EuroSkills Gothenburg 2016.
Taking place from 1 to 3 December, EuroSkills will see the most talented young people from over 30 European countries come together to compete in over 35 different skill areas ranging from engineering and construction through to creative and hospitality. The competitors all have one aim – to win a Gold medal in their chosen skill and prove they are the best in Europe.
Skills Minister Nick Boles said:
“The young people who have earned a place on Team UK are worthy ambassadors and show the great things you can achieve with high quality apprenticeships and technical training. I congratulate each and every member of Team UK and look forward to hearing about their performance at EuroSkills Gothenburg 2016.”
A recent survey* found that over 95% of competitors believed their technical and employability skills had improved as a result of taking part in skills competitions, while over 80% felt competing had increased their confidence, team working, time management and ability to work under pressure.
The young people who have earned a place on Team UK are worthy ambassadors and show the great things you can achieve with high quality apprenticeships and technical training.
Skills Minister Nick Bowles
Dr Neil Bentley, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:
“Our findings have shown that skills competitions enable apprentices to develop and build on the skills that businesses are crying out for. By entering international competitions, we can benchmark the employability skills of our apprentices with those from the rest of Europe, ensuring more young people are being equipped with the right skills to help UK businesses better compete globally.”
The members of Team UK were selected after excelling in the National Finals of the WorldSkills UK Competitions.
Tom Revell, an apprentice with Toyota Manufacturing UK, who will represent the UK in Mechatronics said:
“When I found out that I had been selected to represent the UK at EuroSkills, I was thrilled. My apprenticeship at Toyota has opened so many doors for me and to be able to say I could be the best in Europe at my job has made me determined to give it my all. From now until December I will be spending every spare minute I have training for the competition.”
Similar to the footballers taking part in the Euros this summer, members of Team UK will now go on to complete an intensive training programme, supported by their trainers, employers and training providers.
The competitors who take part in EuroSkills this year will also go onto compete for a place in the team that will represent the UK at WorldSkills, the largest international skills competition, which takes place every two years. The next WorldSkills Competition will take place in Abu Dhabi from 14 to 19 October, 2017.
See Team UK for EuroSkills 2016
| Skill | Name | Employer | Training Provider | Expert (Trainer) |
| Automotive Technology | Seamus Goodfellow | Apprentice with Ballinamullan Auto Repair. | South West College. | Willie Mcilwraith, Warwickshire College. |
| Beauty Therapy | Isla McLarty | Experience Health and Beauty. | City of Glasgow College. | Jenna Bailey, Ashton Community Science College. |
| Bricklaying | Josh Hunter | Completed apprenticeship. Geo Houlton & Sons Ltd | Hull College | Mike Burdett, York College |
| Cabinet Making | Angus Bruce-Gardner | Apprentice with Waters and Acland. | Waters and Acland. | Christian Notley, Chichester College. |
| CNC Milling | Ethan Davies | Completed apprenticeship. Electroimpact UK Ltd. | Coleg Cambria. | Ian Thompson, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai. |
| Floristry | Danielle Scandone | Moonflower. | Merrist Wood College. | Laura Leong, Self-employed. |
| Hairdressing | Lucy Knight | Completed apprenticeship. Owner of Hair by Knight. | Linzi Weare, Reds Hair Company. | |
| Joinery | Conor Willmott | Apprentice with Paul Jackson Carpentry and Joinery. | West Suffolk College. | Andrew Pengelly, Didac Ltd. |
| Landscape Gardening | Will Burberry | Completed apprenticeship. Gardenscapes. | Merrist Wood College. | Simon Abbott, Simon Abbott Landscapes. |
| Landscape Gardening | Adam Ferguson | Grassmaster NI. | CAFRE. | Simon Abbott, Simon Abbott Landscapes. |
| Mechanical Engineering CAD | Betsy Crosbie | New College Lanarkshire. | Barry Skea, New College Lanarkshire. | |
| Mechatronics | Sam Hillier | Completed apprenticeship. Toyota Manufacturing UK. | Toyota Manufacturing UK. | David Russell, Northern Regional College. |
| Mechatronics | Tom Revell | Completed apprenticeship. Toyota Manufacturing UK. | Toyota Manufacturing UK. | David Russell, Northern Regional College. |
| Painting and Decorating | Jordan Jeffers. | Completed apprenticeship. Self-employed. | Southern Regional College. | Peter Walters, Stoke-on-Trent College |
| Plumbing and Heating | Daniel Martins | Apprentice with Briggs and Forrester. | EAS Mechanical | Paul Dodds, Skills, Educational Training (SET) Ltd. |
| Plastering and Drywall | Reece Wilson. | Alan Allisons. | Stockport College. | David Kehoe, British Gypsum. |
| Visual Merchandising and Window Dressing | Chloe Wills. | London College of Fashion, University of the Arts. | Julianne Lavery, University of the Arts London, Westminster University and Istitiuto Marangoni. | |
| Web Design | Nathan Jones. | Neath Port Talbot College | Mike David, Coleg Sir Gar. | |
| Welding | Josh Peek. | Apprentice with L&G Skilled Engineering | Great Yarmouth College. | Clive Bell, Lakes College. |
| Stonemasonry | Toby Brook | Wells Cathedral Stonemasons. | City of Bath College. | Kevin Calpin, Calpin Associates. |
* These figures are taken from an independent evaluation of The Skills Show in 2015.
