David Kidney MP celebrates Skills Heroes

at House of Lords event

David Kidney MP supports local skills hero Charlotte Burford from Stafford at the WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Team UK Announcement, held at the House of Lords on the 30th June.     MP’s, celebrities including James Cracknell 'Double Olympic Gold medallist and adventurer' and representatives from business, industry and government gathered to celebrate the UK’s most highly skilled young people who are set to represent the UK at the 2009 WorldSkills Competition due to take place in Canada in September. The UK will host the WorldSkills Competition in London in 2011.

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. The ultimate prizes are gold, silver and bronze medals. Independent education foundation Edge is the official supporter of both Squad UK and Team UK, as part of its commitment to raising the status of practical and vocational learning

UK Skills, a not for profit organisation, manages the UK team entry to the WorldSkills Competition and is the organisation responsible for overseeing WorldSkills London 2011.

David Kidney commented: "In the current economic climate it is more important than ever that our existing and future workforce have the very best skills to ensure UK plc remains competitive. It is a delight to see talented people like [insert name] from our region being recognised for their potential and thus representing the UK at WorldSkills Calgary 2009. Competitions such as WorldSkills help to raise the overall skills standards in the UK to a world class level and motivate businesses to achieve or maintain a competitive edge in their respective sectors”.

Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, said “The journey to becoming a member of Team UK has been long and hard, with each and every competitor already undergoing months of training and preparation.  These young people are highlighting just how much young talent we have here in the UK.  In this current economic crisis it is more important than ever to make sure that this country has skilled people in the workforce.  We need to be investing in this talent and preparing ourselves for the new challenges and competition that inevitably lies ahead.  It is competitions such as WorldSkills which we hope will make people realise just what the UK has to offer.  I would like to congratulate them all for being selected for Team UK and wish them luck in WorldSkills Calgary.”

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.