Individual selections were revealed at Loughborough University, which has a strong association with training Team GB for the Olympics. Team UK will represent the United Kingdom at The WorldSkills finals in Kazan, Russia on 22-27 August.
Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK, says: “Think Olympic Games, but much more important to the economic future of the UK. This is a life-changing opportunity for all those involved.
I couldn’t be more proud of these extraordinary young people who will be on the plane to Russia. They have worked tirelessly for weeks, months and years to be the best; they are a shining example to the next generation.”
He adds: “We are not only giving young people the opportunity to reach their full potential, but we also believe we can transfer the insight gained from competing against other countries into the wider UK economy, driving up training standards for young people to world-class levels.”
More than 60 countries are sending elite teams to the Tatarstan capital 800 km east of Moscow, to do battle in 56 different skills disciplines. The event, dubbed the ‘Skills Olympics’, which takes place every two years, will be shown live on TV and streamed around the world (including the UK).
At the last WorldSkills finals (2017) in Abu Dhabi, Team UK finished in 10th position, and is hoping to replicate or better that result in 2019.
