Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 06:41 am
Team UK Hungary For Success
Four of the finest young skilled apprentices and students from North West England head to Hungary next week to represent the UK at Europe’s most important and prestigious skills competition .
Team UK – which heads to the EuroSkills Finals in Budapest from 26 to 28September –will comprise of 22 elite competitors skilled in a broad spectrum of disciplines from engineering to construction, digital to creative.
The EuroSkills Finals, which includes teams from across Europe, is the last before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU next year.
The North West representatives in Team UK are:
| Skill | Name | Age | College / Training Provider | Employer | Hometown |
| CNC Milling | Elliott Dawson | 20 | Training 2000 Limited | Fort Vale | Accrington, Lancashire |
| Heavy Truck Maintenance | Kieran Leyland | 20 | Ryder Ltd | Ryder Ltd | Warrington, |
| Landscape Gardening |
Sam Taylor |
20 |
Myerscough College |
Garden TLC |
Oldham, Manchester |
| Plumbing and Heating | Matthew Barton | 21 | Kendal College | WE Barton | Lancaster |
Elliott said:“It’s a bit nerve-wracking but exciting to be heading to Budapest. My company Fort Vale have been very supportive allowing me a lot of company hours to train with WorldSkillsUK.This is a fast-track for my future and there will be even more opportunities if I can win Gold. ”
Kieran said:“My employer Ryder has been fantastic as have family and friends. I am very excited to go to Budapest and I hope it will benefit my career. I will do my best in the competition and hopefully come back with a medal.”
Sam said:“I work for a family business and everyone is very proud. Since the college introduced me to WorldSkillsUk I have been able to develop new skills and confidence. I hope to come back from Budapest with Gold.
Matthew said:“I think going to Budapest might open some more jobs and be great for my dad’s business where I work. I am delighted to be selected for Team UK by WorldSkillsUk and I hope to bring Gold home for myself and my family.”
Dr Neil Bentley, CEO of WorldSkills UK, which selects and trains Team UK to the highest international standard, said: “EuroSkills is hugely important to our nation. As we are preparing to leave the EU we need to be demonstrating to the rest of Europe that we are preparing our youngsters for a competitive future.
“These young people are part of a generation of new high-fliers, role models who will be inspiring others to follow in their footsteps to take up apprenticeships and technical careers.
“We are already seeing the tide turning as more young people and their parents are starting to think really seriously about vocational careers, vocational qualifications and taking up apprenticeships – which is good for them and employers.
“These talented young people will be under intense pressure at Budapest because they are competing against the best of the rest of Europe. Some of them have been training for years alongside their jobs, forsaking holidays, attending WorldSkills Uk boot camps to be prepared so they can compete at their level best.”
Governments and industry will be watching with interest to benchmark how well Team UK performs compared to the country’s main European competitors. At the previous EuroSkills finals, held in 2016 in Gothenburg – Team UK finished seventh.
To secure a place in Team UK, the apprentices and learners have been through an exhaustive selection process, taking part in the prestigious WorldSkills UK National Competitions, the finals of which are held at WorldSkills UK LIVE.
European Policy makers, educators and industry partners will attend the event – along with (an expected) 73,000 spectators.
