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News Release from: Festo
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 May 2006
London will be world skills capital for
2011
The UK has won a bid to host the WorldSkills Competition in London in 2011, following voting at the WorldSkills annual general meeting with delegates from the 38 different member nations.
The UK has won a bid to host the WorldSkills Competition in London in 2011 Voting took place last week in Melbourne, Australia, at the WorldSkills Annual General Meeting with delegates from the 38 different member nations of the WorldSkills organisation
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 13 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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WorldSkills, held every two years, will take place in London from the 6th to the 9th October 2011.
The competition will be in ExCeL London, one of the main venues for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The UK bid faced strong competition from Australia and Sweden.
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Education and Skills Secretary Alan Johnson said: "This is wonderful news.
"We now have a unique chance with the Government, business and the education sector working closely together to raise the status of skills and vocational education dramatically and inspire a new generation of youngsters to take up good careers in all sectors of the economy." Chris Humphries, Chairman of UK Skills, the organisation which spearheaded the UK bid, said: "This is such an achievement for the UK.
We now have the foundations to raise the profile of WorldSkills in the UK and at a global level.
"We also now have the chance to raise the profile of the skills that will make the London Olympic and Paralympic Games possible." For too long the vocational route has been seen as inferior to academic studies but succeeding in the skills sector takes just as much dedication, determination and hard work.
Participating in Skills Competitions drives forward individuals' aspirations, provides them with a way to benchmark their skills and to recognise their achievements.
"Watching over 700 young people compete to attain World Class standards in skills is truly exhilarating and I can not wait for 2011 when London will host the WorldSkills Competition, it will be absolutely incredible," said Johnson.
WorldSkills events will be staged only 20 minutes from central London, welcoming young people from around the world to compete in over 40 skills areas in a richly diverse city of 300 communities.
Interactive technology will be used to promote the competition widely and raise the profile and status of vocational skills, technicians and specialist crafts to a wider audience.
WorldSkills is the largest skills competition in the world with 40 different countries participating.
Medals are won in skills areas ranging from hairdressing and beauty therapy to landscape skills and welding.
Claridge's, L'Oreal Professionnel and Honda worked with the UK team in Melbourne to lobby for delegates' votes.
The bidding to host the 2011 WorldSkills Competition began in September 2005.
After validation in January 2006 by two visiting WorldSkills board members UK Skills was given the green light to submit a formal bid by the 31st March.
There has been strong support for the UK bid from the Government, the Mayor of London, business and individuals.
Sponsors have pledged GBP 11million in funding, which the Government has pledged to match if the bid proves successful.
This funding would cover the costs of hosting the event, at around GBP 22 million, which the Government has also agreed to underwrite. Request free introductory details about products from Festo ...
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