To celebrate the launch of The Skills Show in 2017, WorldSkills UK in partnership with The Careers & Enterprise Company is hosting a Competition Week for Schools from 25 to 29 September.
The Skills Show is the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event. This year it takes place from 16 to 18 November at the NEC Birmingham. Bringing together the UK’s leading employers, the Show presents apprenticeships and training opportunities to help young people experience many careers in one place, raising their aspirations for getting the best start in work and life.
At the heart of The Skills Show, are the National Finals of the WorldSkills UK Competitions. This sees the UK’s most talented apprentices and students compete to be named the UK champion in skills ranging from Welding and Cooking through to Landscape Gardening and Cyber Security. Using the buzz of the WorldSkills UK Competitions, secondary schools are being invited to run their own skills competitions to give their students an insight to the world of work.
Information for teachers is available in the WorldSkills UK Career Planning Toolkit, a free resource available to schools throughout England. The toolkit uses the inspirational stories of past competitors from The Skills Show to show how apprenticeships and technical education can lead to prestigious careers.
Ben Blackledge, Director of Education and Skills Competitions at WorldSkills UK said: “Skills competitions are a great mechanism to introduce young people to career planning, encouraging them to take ownership of their own development plans. The challenges also help teach the employability skills that businesses are looking for in new recruits, from team working through to effective communication and time management.”
