UK Skills
UK Skills has revealed the names of five young engineers
from across the UK who have been shortlisted for the UK team to compete
in the WorldSkills Competition.
James Della Cioppa, 20, a Mechatronics Engineer from
High Peak in Derbyshire, was selected for WorldSkills after participating
in the SkillMechatronics competition earlier this year. He previously
completed an NVQ Level 3 at college and currently works for Federal
Mogul Friction Products.
Matthew Goodwin, 21, a Mechatronics Engineer from
Buxton, was selected for WorldSkills after participating in the SkillMechatronics
competition earlier this year. He completed an NVQ Level 3 and an
HNC qualification while at college and currently works for Federal
Mogul Friction Products.
Tom Ashcroft, 20, was selected for WorldSkills after
participating in the SkillElectronics competition earlier this year.
Ashcroft works for MBDA UK Missile Systems and has completed his apprenticeship
but is continuing working towards his a HND and NVQ Level 4 at Wigan
and Leigh College.
Gareth Rees, 20, was selected for WorldSkills after
participating in the SkillWeld competition earlier this year. Rees
works for Whitland Engineering and is in the process of completing
an NVQ Level 3 Apprenticeship at Prestige Training.
Christopher Robertson, 19, a welder from Argyll, was
selected for WorldSkills after participating in the SkillWeld competition
earlier this year. Having completed an NVQ Level 3 Apprenticeship
at Falkirk College and a Level 2 City and Guilds qualification in
welding, Robertson now works for Interserve.
The five will now compete with others on the shortlist,
from a number of skill areas, for a place in the official UK team.
The shortlist was announced at an event held at Bridgewater Hall in
Manchester, which was attended by Ivan Lewis, Minister for Skills
and Vocational Education and David Grant from Fame Academy, who has
been appointed as an official Ambassador for the UK WorldSkills Team.
The WorldSkills competition will take place between
26th and 29th May 2005 in Helsinki, Finland. It is the biggest skills
competition in the world, with over 700 competitors from 39 member
countries participating. Young people from 39 skill areas will compete
over the course of four days to become the best within their chosen
trade.
Dr Graeme Hall, Chief Executive of UK Skills, the
organisation which is responsible for selecting and managing the UK
team, said: "While our workforce has reached an undeniable level
of competence, we need to aspire to excellence in order to maintain
our position in an increasingly competitive global economy. But first,
we need to rethink our attitude to training and rid
vocational education of its image as the 'poor relation' to academic
qualifications. The reality is that employment in vocational skills
makes for
rewarding careers. So why is it that choosing the vocational path
is still seen as second best?".
"UK Skills is helping the Standards Unit at the
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) realise its policy objectives.
The WorldSkills Competition is just one of the initiatives in a wider
drive to raise the standard of skills in this country, while bringing
parity of esteem with academic qualifications. The WorldSkills Competition
provides a means of benchmarking against a world-class standard, but,
crucially, it also instils competitors with a sense of pride and worth
in their chosen trade. Every member from our past WorldSkills teams
has come back with a heightened sense of confidence and the aspiration
to excel in their day-to-day work".
Following the announcement of the shortlist in Manchester, competitors
will participate in a number of skills events to prepare them both
physically and mentally for the rigours of the competition in Helsinki.
Sponsors of the UK team - L'Oréal Professionnel,
the Honda Institute, the Standards Unit (DfES), Brathay Hall Trust,
and City and Guilds - each play a role in supporting the events around
the competition preparation.
The final team for
Helsinki will be announced following events at Derby College and EMTEC,
Nottingham. The event at Derby College will simulate the WorldSkills
competition over 18 hours, to give competitors an opportunity to demonstrate
their practical skills and test their ability to perform under
pressure. The chosen team will then undertake a final project on 9th
to 13th
April, which will simulate a crisis situation.
