Part of the National Apprenticeship Service

TeamUK Results 2011

5 Gold
2 Silver
6 Bronze

Biography

Harry Smith

London
Skill: 
Graphic Design Technology
Home Town: 
Bow
Employer: 
Eunoia Design
Self Employed: 
Yes

 

Qualifications: 

GCGI
BA (Hons) Graphic Design (First class)
BTEC ND Graphic Design
AVCE IT
A Level Art
AMA Hospitality Supervision
9 GCSEs

Memberships : 

Graduate Member of the Chartered Society of Designers

Are you City & Guilds qualified?: 
Yes
What involvement have you had with competitions?: 

Competed at WorldSkills Shizuoka 2007 in Graphic Design Technology where I won a silver medal. I also led on the WorldSkills UK 2009/10 Graphic Design competition.

Who would you like to thank for their support?: 
  • Michelle Rolston for her assistance and guidance as the former Training Manager and WorldSkills Expert
  • Stuart Youngs, Phil Skinner and Cat Cooke from Purpose for their ongoing support.
  • Jason Leung from Character Games Limited for his support with the training and selection process
What made you take on this role?: 

After the fantastic experience that I had at WorldSkills Shizuoka 2007 as a competitor I decided to stay involved with competitions and the work of UK Skills. I began working with Michelle Rolston, my Training Manager, as an Associate Trainer delivering the software workshops to potential competitors over the 2009 competition cycle.

Being part of the training process and watching a competitor grow and develop is an immensely rewarding experience, which fills me with a sense of both pride and joy. My recent appointment as Training Manager will allow me to continue developing the Squad for WorldSkills London 2011 a role which I’m passionately devoted to.

Why do you think WorldSkills is important?: 

For a competitor the learning experience of competing at WorldSkills is un-paralleled and transformational, taking ordinary talented people and training them to become mature exceptionally skilled individuals. Looking at the bigger picture the WorldSkills competition benchmarks the UK’s education and training systems against a global workforce, helping to develop best practises in preparing the future UK workforce.

What do you enjoy most about your role?: 

Working with the potential competitors to help them prepare for selection competitions and the main event is extremely enjoyable.

How are you using this experience in your workplace?: 

Work based learning in graphic design is built into education programmes in other parts of the world through apprenticeships for example. As part of my role I will be identifying opportunities to engage with learning providers to increase the amount of work based learning available in the UK to ensure students studying Graphic Design have the appropriate skills to hit the ground running when they finish education.

What do you think being part of this process does for young people?: 

As a ‘product of the system’ I can say it honestly say it changes lives.

What sets a WS competitor apart from your average young person?: 

The determination and focus to be the best of the best is what distinguishes young people from the crowd. The intensive training programmes are a huge commitment and not for the faint hearted, it takes someone exceptional to make it all the way.

What would be your message to industry about entering future competitions?: 

It’s a no brainer, the training and development that potential competitors receive is invaluable to both them and their employer.

What impact will WorldSkills London 2011 have on your industry?: 

The competition will raise the profile of the skills demonstrated and will help visitors realise the importance of maintaining a highly skilled workforce. Exposing skills like Graphic Design in this environment demonstrates to the young guests the breadth of the specialism and what a career in graphic design includes.

What are your personal achievements: 
  • Winning a Silver Medal in Graphic Design at WorldSkills Shizuoka 2007
  • Being appointed the President of the BTEC Alumni
Something we didn’t know about you...: 

I love snowboarding and will be attempting to master a 180 next season!