Press Release
backTeam UK honoured for their achievements at WorldSkills 2009
October 12, 2009
Welcome Back reception City Hall: WorldSkills Team UK 2009 with London Mayor Boris Johnson
All 26 young members of Team UK were honoured on 9th October at a prestigious reception at City Hall, London, to celebrate their fantastic achievements at WorldSkills Calgary 2009, the skills equivalent of the Olympics. They were joined by celebrity guest Matt Dawson MBE.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson also spoke at the reception congratulating Team UK on their achievements.
WorldSkills is a totally unique event. Last month, in front of over 150,000 spectators Team UK battled it out over four days of tough competition. In total there were 900 young people from 46 nations competing in skills ranging from bricklaying, IT and engineering to floristry, hairdressing and cooking. Team UK achieved the UK’s best results yet – placing the UK 7th in the World (four places up from the last WorldSkills Competition in Shizuoka, Japan), winning a total of three Gold medals, six Bronze medals and 14 Medallions For Excellence, which are given to competitors who achieve at least 500 points, deemed the world class standard. Independent education foundation Edge is the Premier Supporter of Squad and Team UK, as part of its commitment to raising the status of practical and vocational learning.
Former England Rugby player Matt Dawson MBE said: 'Meeting Team UK has been a great experience for me. I know personally how much training and effort is needed to be the best of the best and Team UK can all proudly say that they have achieved this. There are lots of similarities between training for a sport and training for WorldSkills and I hope that their achievements will help show the country just how talented these young men and women are and encourage other young people to get involved. What they have proved is that it’s well worth it. I wish them every success in the future.'
Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, who manage Team UK said: 'I had the honour of being able to see Team UK in action at WorldSkills Calgary 2009 and what they achieved was nothing short of amazing. The dedication the whole team put in before the competition was outstanding and it has certainly paid off. We couldn’t be more proud of the team. They have deservedly today been honoured for what they have achieved. I send my congratulations to them all and hope that their hard work and results inspire many more to take part in skill competitions and indeed come and see the WorldSkills Competition in action themselves when it is held in London in October 2011.'
Skills Minister Kevin Brennan, said:
“Team UK are among the most highly skilled young people in the world. I’m so glad I was able to meet these young men and women and see their great achievements first-hand. Young people like this are key to the future of our economy. They clearly demonstrate the benefits of investing in training. Team UK should all be seen as fantastic role models to other young people in our country.”
The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry. Brathay provide and support the training and development of Squad and Team UK.
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Visit the photo gallery for low res images from the event. High res versions are available on request.
For more information, please contact:
Eddie Blower – Praise PR +44(0)7968 983 553 eddie@praisepr.co.uk
Alaine Biggs – Praise PR +44 (0)7957 344 547 alaine@praisepr.co.uk
Kate Moloughney– UK Skills +44 (0)20 7429 2827 kate.moloughney@ukskills.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About UK Skills www.ukskills.org.uk
UK Skills, a not for profit organisation, manages the delivery of innovative, high profile competitions and awards which showcase excellence and demonstrate how exceptional performance improves individual and organisational success.
Established in 1990, UK Skills works to raise the profile of skills in the UK and oversee the UK’s premier set of skills competitions, WorldSkills UK.
UK Skills also manages the UK team entry to WorldSkills, the biggest skills competition in the world. Most recently UK Skills spearheaded the bid to bring WorldSkills to London in 2011. WorldSkills London 2011 will be a truly global showcase for skills and young people from across the world.
UK Skills also manages the National Training Awards which celebrate exemplary training in the workplace; from coordinating the awards famously robust judging processes to organising celebration events across the UK, UK Skills works on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to shine a spotlight on those who have made a difference to their organisation through training.
About WorldSkills www.worldskillsuk.org
The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition in the world and is held every two years in one of its member countries. Its sets world class standards in over 40 skill categories ranging from cabinet making to web design.
Over four days of tough competition, young people drawn now from 51 member nations test themselves against tough international standards. The ultimate prizes are gold, silver and bronze medals.
Locations of previous and future WorldSkills competitions:
2003: St. Gallen, Switzerland
2005: Helsinki, Finland
2007: Shizuoka, Japan
2009: Calgary, Canada
2011: London, UK
About WorldSkills Calgary www.worldskills2009.com
Calgary will host the 40th WorldSkills Competition, from September 1 to 6, 2009.
UK Skills is responsible for selecting and training UK candidates for WorldSkills.
The UK’s WorldSkills team is managed by UK Skills working in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and key partners from education, government and industry
About Edge www.edge.co.uk
Edge is an independent education foundation. It is dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning, so that all young people have the opportunity to achieve their potential, and the UK’s future workforce is equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern economy. Edge believes that ‘learning by doing’ is as important as academic learning, and that there are many paths to success.
About Brathay www.brathay.org.uk
Brathay Hall Trust is a national charity that empowers young people to make a positive contribution to society. At the heart of Brathay is their work with young people; to develop successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. This was the basis on which Brathay was first founded 60 years ago and remains in place today.
Brathay People in Organisations inspires people in teams to improve performance and increase the leadership capacity of their organisations. They deliver team and leadership development programmes to the Children’s Workforce, as well as large private sector clients nationally and globally. All profits generated from Brathay’s corporate work goes to support their charitable work with young people
About City & Guilds www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
City & Guilds is the UK’s leading provider of work-related qualifications. City & Guilds works closely with industry and employers and offers over 500 qualifications in 28 different industry areas, through colleges, training providers and employers.
