Team UK star Kasia Gierek is getting a perfect lesson of where life can take you if you follow your instincts and don’t hold back.
The 22-year-old a Degree Apprentice from Warrington, decided to set herself a challenge when she saw an advert enticing professionals to enter a regional WorldSkills UK competition.
Just months later she will be stepping out on the World stage in front of tens of thousands of people to represent her country.
“I just happened to see an advert from the Royal Society of Chemistry which promoted the regional round of WorldSkills UK competitions. I thought ‘why not’ and set myself a challenge.
“After competing in the regional finals, I qualified for the National Finals, where I came second. WorldSkills UK took me to one side and said they would like me to join the squad of potential competitors for the international finals.
“To be honest I joined later in the cycle than everybody else and didn’t think that I had a chance of being selected and of course I was totally stunned when I was.”
Kasia, who has 10 GCSEs, and secured three A-Levels (Chemistry, Biology and Maths) is about to complete a Degree Apprenticeship.
“I have never been afraid of hard work, and as I want to win a Gold Medal in Lyon, I am having to put hour after hour to help make that happen.
“The WorldSkills UK family has been hugely welcoming to me, the comradery is terrific. My Training Manager Mike Hughes is hugely patient and supportive.
“To say that I have had a confidence boost from the experience is the understatement of the century. I also now know that I thrive working under pressure.”
Team UK, powered by WorldSkills UK in partnership with Pearson.
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