Smith Supports Bid To Host Worldskills 2011 In Uk

5 May 2006
SMITH SUPPORTS BID TO HOST WORLDSKILLS 2011 IN UK
An international judging panel will decide on the success of the UK bid to host the prestigious WorldSkills competition in 2011.
The deliberations of the panel will be announced next week following a glittering WorldSkills Australia National Competition Awards ceremony in Melbourne.
Supporting the bid that has involved years of painstaking work, Department for Employment and Learning Minister Angela Smith said: "Northern Ireland is very supportive of the UK bid to host WorldSkills in London in 2011. Skills are very high on the agenda here as demonstrated by the recent publication of the Skills Strategy Programme for Implementation.
"We are also about to launch our new proposals for a suite of professional and technical training programmes for young people, with an increased focus on apprenticeship provision."
The Minister also went on to highlight Northern Ireland's participation in the competition and added: "Participants here view competitions like WorldSkills as a key way to shift the emphasis on training from competence to excellence and we were extremely proud of the successes like Andrew Blair who won a gold medal for the UK in the last event in Helsinki in 2005."
Highlighting the value of showcasing the importance of recognising excellence in training and development to the Northern Ireland economy, Angela Smith concluded: "As well as raising the profile of skills, WorldSkills is also driving up standards. We are already developing a strong network of skills competitions across the UK. This will only strengthen as we near the 2011 competition. I know that Northern Ireland will play a full part in contributing to that process."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The first WorldSkills Competition took place in Madrid in 1950 as a forum for young people to demonstrate their vocational skills and achieve world-class standards of competence.
2. During the 2005 Competition in Helsinki, Finland the event attracted 118,000 visitors and 700 competitors from 40 countries.
3. Press and Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7793.

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