NI Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey is calling for local entries to the competitions that are designed to find the best skilled people and annually attract up to 4,000 skilled participants in 70 skill categories ranging from landscape gardening, autobody repair and painting and decorating to floristry, hairdressing and IT.
"Here we have a great number of skilled young people, and I want to encourage more to get involved so we can show the rest of the country just how talented Northern Ireland is," said Sir Reg.
-- Advertisement --
"What's great about WorldSkills UK competitions is that they play a key part in lifting standards of training and performance while promoting world class skills and now more than ever, skilled industries are crucial to the future success of our economy. I would like to urge anyone who is skilled to enter online by Friday 19 March 2010 at www.worldskillsuk.org
Entrants from this year’s competitions may be selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills London 2011, being held at The Excel between 5 – 8 October. WorldSkills London 2011 is the biggest skills competition in the world and rivals the Olympics in size. Approximately 1,200 competitors will take part from 50 countries/regions over a total of four days of tough competition.
The UK is currently placed 7th in the world, having won three gold medals, six bronze medals and 14 medallions for excellence at the last WorldSkills event held in Calgary in September of last year. One bronze winner last year was the joiner Trevor Woods from Fermanagh.
(NS/GK)
