Shizuoka, Japan 2007

November 14th 2007 will launch the 39th WorldSkills Competition in Japan: the land of the rising sun. 48 Countries from around the world will descend upon Shizuoka, home of Japan's tallest mountain, Mount Fuji.

Over four days of competition, more than 800 young people will test themselves against tough international standards in 47 vocational skills. The ultimate prizes will be gold, silver and bronze medals.

At the 2005 WorldSkills competition held in Finland, Switzerland topped the medal table winning 5 gold, 7 silver, 6 bronze medals and 10 medallions of excellence. In the same year the UK continued to improve its recent performance at WorldSkills by winning 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals and seven medallions of excellence. The UK's average team score of 504.63 was better than any UK team in the past.

In 2007 UK Skills is striving for more entries, a higher average score and more medals and medallions than in 2005. An eighteen month intensive training programme began in January 2006 to ensure that the team chosen to represent the UK will be physically and mentally prepared to compete at WorldSkills in Japan.