WorldSkills London 2011 Team UK members
 
Team UK scoops an outstanding 5 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals at WorldSkills London 2011.
The UK now has another national team to be proud of.  It was announced last night that the UK has triumphed at the largest global skills competition there is, WorldSkills London 2011, which took place at ExCeL London, winning an impressive five gold, two silver and six bronze medals in skills ranging from cooking, bricklaying and plumbing and visual merchandising, welding and car painting. 
 
This places the UK 5th in the world.  What makes this even more remarkable is that Team UK was made up of young people, all under the age of 25, who have gone against the norm, deciding that it is a skilled career they want and have been training hard in their chosen skills for the last eighteen months in order to achieve these results for the country. 
 
Team UK competed against 1000 competitors from 52 countries/regions and were watched by over 200,000 visitors over the four days of tough competition they had to complete. The results, which are the highest ever achieved by the UK, were announced during an emotional closing ceremony at The O2 Arena last night, where, just like the Olympics, gold, silver and bronze medal winners of each skill mounted a podium to receive their medal accompanied by thunderous cheers and applause from the audience.
 
In addition to the thirteen medals, Team UK was also awarded twelve Medallions for Excellence in skills ranging from web design to restaurant service.  This honour is awarded to those competitors who reach the world class level in their skill discipline.
 
Skills Minister John Hayes said: "These inspirational results are a tribute to the skill, imagination and purposeful pride of our young people.  Team UK has shown that UK workers and businesses can take on the world and win - but I want many thousands more people in the UK to achieve excellence.
 
"The Government’s unprecedented commitment to practical learning, with the biggest apprenticeship programme ever, is putting skills back at the centre of national life, helping people build strong and successful careers, firms and communities."
 
Gold medals were awarded to:

• For Cooking: Ben Murphy, 20, from London, who works at Koffmann’s
   
• For Stonemasonry: Chris Berridge, 22, from Crewkerne, who works for Harveystone and is a former apprentice
   
• For Visual Merchandising: Kirsty Hoadley, 20, from Slough, who is a student at East Berkshire College
   
• For Bricklaying: Philip Green, 22, from Liburn, NI, who works for D G Green & Sons and is a former apprentice
   
• For Plumbing & Heating: Shane Trevitt, 22, from Wirral, who works for NG Bailey and is a former apprentice
   

Silver Medals were awarded to: 

• For Autobody Repair: Ross Varnam, 21, from Leicester, who works for Parker Motor Services and is a former apprentice
   
• For Landscape Gardening: James Cuffey, 21, from Downpatrick, NI, who works for S.M. Cuffey Landscapes and Simon Abbott, 22, from Doncaster, who is self-employed 

Bronze Medals were awarded to:

• For Automobile Technology: John Couldridge, 22, from Southend-on-Sea, who works for Glyn Hopkin Honda and is a former apprentice
   
• For Car Painting: Ben Eaton, 22, from Sheffield, who works for Sytner BMW Sheffield and is a former apprentice
   
• For Joinery: Adam Bushnell, 21, from Oxford, who is self-employed and is a former apprentice
   
• For Mechanical Engineering Design – CAD: Ryan Sheridan, 20, from East Kilbride, who works for Motherwell College
   
• For Refrigeration & Air Conditioning: Stuart Millar, 20, from Loughgall, NI, who works for A&N Shilliday & Co Ltd and is a former apprentice
   
• For Welding: Jake Rambaldini, 21, from Daventry, who works for Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd and is a former apprentice
   

Team UK is managed by the National Apprenticeship Service and was supported in its medal success by Edge, the independent education foundation, the Premier Supporter of Squad and Team UK and Brathay Trust, the Premier Training and Development Partner of Squad and Team UK.
 
Ends
For more information please contact:
Kate Moloughney, PR Manager, Team UK on 07810156478 / kate.moloughney@ukskills.org.uk
Tom York, Senior PR Executive, Team UK on 07825341443 / tom.york@ukskills.org.uk
 
Notes to Editors
 
About Team UK -  www.worldskillsteamuk.org        
Team UK is made up of 43 competitors aged 18-25 who are currently in training to represent the UK at WorldSkills London 2011, a unique competition where young people from across the world compete to become the best of the best in their chosen skill. WorldSkills London 2011 takes place from 5th -8th October, 20-11 at ExCeL, London.  Team UK is managed by the National Apprenticeship Service.   
 
About Edge - www.edge.co.uk
 
Edge is an independent education foundation. It is dedicated to raising the status of practical, technical 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.
 
Edge, is the Premier Supporter of Squad and Team UK and Sponsor of the WorldSkills, UK Alumni.                                                                                                                                                                              
 
About Brathay – www.brathay.org.uk
Brathay Trust is a national charity and leader in the development of young people. Their Apprentice Development programmes deliver excellence and employability in partnership with employers. For over 10 years Brathay’s partnership with Squad and Team UK has provided training, development and coaching to competitors, training managers and team leaders.  A large part of the recent WorldSkills success has been the result of the sophisticated model of training & development pioneered by Brathay.
                                                                     
Brathay is the Premier Training and Development Partner of Squad and Team UK. This unique partnership will provide and support the training and development of Squad and Team UK at WorldSkills London 2011.
 
WorldSkills London 2011
For more information on the WorldSkills London 2011 event visit www.worldskillslondon2011.com