A total of 22 young people from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, Coventry College, Warwickshire College and Shipston-on-Stour-based The Gardenmakers will compete against other students from all over the UK in a number of skills ranging from digital video to culinary arts in front of over 77,000 visitors at WorldSkills UK LIVE.
The event, which is taking place from Thursday, November 15 to Saturday, November 17 at the NEC in Birmingham, is the country’s largest experiential skills, apprenticeships and careers event and is free to attend.
Marion Plant OBE, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Productivity & Skills Business Group and Principal and Chief Executive Officer of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, is also Deputy Chair of WorldSkills UK.
She said the event, which was previously known as the Skills Show, was a fantastic opportunity for students and apprentices to showcase their talent to a wider audience.
“The students should be proud for reaching this stage of WorldSkills UK because the standard of the entrants is extremely high,” she said.
“The range of the competitions is extremely varied from customer service to landscaping and the event is a perfect opportunity for the students to give themselves a competitive edge when taking the next step in their careers.
“The event is always extremely well attended with a real buzz in the halls and I’m looking forward to watching the students compete alongside their peers and industry leaders.”
WorldSkills UK Competitions are run in over 60 skill areas and have helped people go further in their training and chosen careers.
Dr Neil Bentley, Chief Executive of WorldSkills UK, said: “I offer my congratulations to all the students who have gained a place in the finals.
“Our competitions equip apprentices and learners with the lifelong, world-class skills that will drive up training standards to the highest level to help boost UK productivity and competitiveness.
“All the students will spend from now until November 15 in training for the WorldSkills UK Competitions, supported by their colleges and workplaces.”
