17 September 2007
Lord Mayor’s support for WorldSkills London 2011
Lord Mayor of the City of London John Stuttard hosts a reception
today (17 September) to promote WorldSkills London 2011 and raise
awareness of this spectacular global event.
The WorldSkills Competition brings together the most skilled
young adults from across the globe to compete for Gold, Silver and
Bronze medals in over 40 skill categories. Over four days of
tough competition, competitors drawn from 48 member nations test
themselves against tough international standards.
The next WorldSkills Competition will take place in Japan in
November. A team of highly skilled young people from across
the UK have been selected to form the UK Team. In October
2011, the WorldSkills Competition will come to London and is set to
attract up to 500,000 visitors.
The Lord Mayor’s Office has been supportive of the WorldSkills
Competition since the UK launched its bid to host the event in
2005. This support is of great importance to the UK
organisers.
Lord Mayor John Stuttard said:
“As the world’s prime international financial centre, the City
of London recognises the importance of sourcing and retaining young
talents.
The City supports UK Skills in helping to host the WorldSkills 2011
as it encourages young people to aspire to achieve the highest
standards and to excite potential employers in their proven
skills.
With the proximity of the 2012 Olympics, WorldSkills 2011
provides a unique opportunity to internationally showcase the range
and quality of vocational skills of young talents. “
Jacqui Henderson CBE, Chief Executive of UK Skills the
organisation that spearheaded the campaign to bring the event to
London commented; “The Lord Mayor’s role as an ambassador for the
City of London and its business community is crucial in helping us
promote WorldSkills to employers and we are delighted he is hosting
this reception. Taking place in the heart of the world’s most
cosmopolitan city, we want WorldSkills London 2011 to tap into the
buzz that surrounds London and its profile to promote the rewarding
career opportunities open to those who pursue vocational
skills. WorldSkills is about excellence, and at a time when
high quality skills are recognised as key to a vibrant economy I
can think of no better way to motivate and inspire young people to
take up skills training. We see that WorldSkills is a way to
engage employers who are crying out for a more productive and
competitive workforce. We want more employers to get involved
and support the event.”
The UK Government has given the competition its support by agreeing
to match external sponsors pound for pound for their contributions
up to the estimated £22 million costs of running the competitions,
while City & Guilds is already a Premier Partner. Festo have
also pledged substantial in-kind sponsorship.
Supporters include: Department for Innovation, Universities and
Skills, Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland,
The Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government, City &
Guilds, FESTO, Edge, Claridge’s Hotel, Confederation of British
Industry, BBC, City of London Corporation, Investors in People,
London Mayor’s Office, L’Oreal Professionnel, Learning and Skills
Council, London First, Newham Volunteers, Sector Skills Development
Agency, Honda (UK), Trades Union Congress, UK Skills, VisitBritain,
VisitLondon
Ends
Notes for editors
- The reception will take place on Monday 17 September at Mansion
House, London from 6.00-8.00pm.
- The 2011 WorldSkills Competition will take place from the 6 - 9
October 2011 at ExCeL London.
- For more information on WorldSkills 2011 visit:
www.worldskillslondon2011.com
- The aim is to use WorldSkills 2011 to create a lasting legacy
which will benefit the UK before, during and after the
event.
- UK Skills, a not-for-profit organisation which champions skills
and learning for work through competitions and awards organises the
UK entry to the WorldSkills Competition.
- WorldSkills International is a unique membership organisation
dedicated to raising the status and standards of vocational
education and training worldwide.
Contact
Vikki Light, UK Skills, 020 7612 9260 or 07900 253 734
(vikki.light@ukskills.org.uk)
Loretta Lui, City of London, 020 7332 1528
(loretta.lui@cityoflondon.gov.uk)