WorldSkills UK has appointed Carol Turnbull as its Ambassador for Scotland, as part of its continued work with the Scottish Government to develop world-class skills for young people and employers in Scotland.
Most recently, Carol was Principal and Chief Executive of Ayrshire College from 2019 until September 2022, having previously been Principal and CEO at Dumfries and Galloway College. During that time, she was Chair of the Colleges Principals Group and worked closely with the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council. Carol has also served on a number of Boards including the Energy Skills Partnership, Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) and is currently an adviser on the Scottish Government National Strategy for Economic Transfer (skills) group.
Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:
“We are delighted to appoint Carol to lead our work in Scotland and ensure there is continuity in the programmes that we are delivering.
We have an important period coming up as we look to select the young Scottish students and apprentices to join Team UK to compete at WorldSkills Lyon 2024. We will also look to expand our Centre of Excellence programme in Scotland, working with more colleges, independent training providers and universities so more educators and young people can benefit from global best practice in skills development.”
Carol will take over from Martin McGuire, former Principal and Chief Executive of New College Lanarkshire, who has been the Director for Scotland at WorldSkills UK since 2019. Under Martin’s guidance, Scotland has consistently delivered outstanding performances at the WorldSkills UK national and international competitions. Most recently, Scottish organisations were awarded 24 medals, including nine gold medals, at the WorldSkills UK National Finals in 2023 and at the last WorldSkills event in 2022, Scotland brought back four Medallions for Excellence which are awarded to those who reach the world class standard in their skill.
Carol Turnbull, WorldSkills UK Ambassador for Scotland, said
“I’m excited to join WorldSkills UK at what is an exciting time for the organisation as we look ahead to growing the reach and impact of programmes in Scotland.
As a former Principal, I have seen firsthand the benefits of being involved in WorldSkills UK’s programmes and I look forward to increasing the involvement of Scottish organisations so more young people, educators and employers can benefit from world-class skills development.”
