FE Week is coordinating a campaign for the UK to host WorldSkills in 2027.

The chief executive of WordSkills UK used this paper earlier in January to suggest that their organisation was starting to look at whether we could host a future competition.

We believe this would be an amazing opportunity for our sector and the UK to play host to the global skills community. 

A bid is an opportunity for our sector to truly think big and demonstrate a bold ambition. We can exploit the process of bidding, and hopefully hosting, as a catalyst for change. Adopting an ambition to implement international benchmarking across the sector and thus creating a stronger economic future for more young people.

Winning the bid would also see the UK host ministers and, business and education leaders from across the globe as part of an international skills summit. A platform from which we can demonstrate we are developing the skills needed to attract investment and subsequently jobs for our highly-skilled learners.

The next step for government is to announce their support of a feasibility study, which of course will require public money and time. The Secretary of State appears to be supportive, in principle, but he will need some encouragement. That’s where the sector and your stakeholders come in!

Show your support for the UK to host WorldSkills 2027 on social media using #BackABid and by leaving a comment at the end of this post. FE Week will collate these responses and present them to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson at the end of February.

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21 Comments

  1. Rhiannon Hughes

    I think this is an excellent proposal for the UK to support. Look at the difference that the 2012 Olympics made to the country in terms of sport involvement and created so many opportunities for such a cross section of society and the legacy is still prominent today. The Worldskills 2027 in the UK could potentially create a wave of vocational support across a range of sectors and diverse communities that would benefit so many young people, whether in the early stages of the competition or in the final stages. As a Deputy Principal of a general FE college, I believe this is a fantastic opportunity for the FE Sector and the Country as a whole.

  2. charlotte bosworth

    To have the chance to directly showcase the fantastic skills, along with the Employers and young people who benefit from our skills system in the UK seems to much of a fantastic opportunity to miss #backthebid

  3. Jo Maher

    I fully support a bid to host WorldSkills in the UK. Having worked with the amazing Team UK firsthand over a numbers of years and in my role as a college Principal, I have witnessed the world class standards we can achieve
    and how we can inspire young people. Skills are at the heart of a vibrant economy and we need to collectively raise aspirations and the profile of our talented young people as they will drive future growth.

  4. Carole Stott

    What a fabulous opportunity for skills UK this would be. It will provide the focus on world class skills that we need right now. It will inspire and motivate not only our young people, who may get the opportunity to complete, but also their families, friends, employers and communities who support them, as well as the whole skills system. It will showcase the world-class skills standards of the UK, potentially encouraging all sorts of inward investment and trade.
    As former Chair of WorldSkills UK I have witnessed at close quarters the positive impact of the UK competing on the international stage, and the respect we gain from our international partners and competitors. For us to host the international competition would magnify that impact at a time when we really need to accelerate the momentum and recognition of the importance and value of skills.

  5. Stuart Nice

    The greatest platform for promoting Technical knowledge and practical skills. Including an additional opportunity to promote apprenticeship and crafts.
    The competition strengthens and raises industrial standards for all involve.

  6. Hosting World Skills 2027 will be one of the UK’s key markers of our post-Brexit trade relationships. With the outstanding track record of World Skills UK to field a world-class Team UK and stage international events, we have to get behind the bid. #BACKABID

  7. Kirstie Donnelly

    Uniting a fragmented skills eco system behind a UK World Skills bid would do so much to positively impact skills development and their sustainability as a force for good in this country.
    As we’ve been saying for over 140 years we need to “shout loud” about the value and positive impact of technical skills and their ability to transform lives, societies, employers – and massively contribute to UKplc as a whole.

  8. Steph McGovern

    If we’re going to close the skills gap we need to show people the best of what is out there. Hosting World Skills here in the UK would be a brilliant way to do that. Let’s celebrate skills and inspire the next generation.

  9. Sally Messenger

    WorldSkills shines the spotlight on the value of skills to economies and individuals. The UK hosting the Competition in 2027 would add value to our investment in apprenticeships and T Levels.

  10. Simon Farrall

    Hosting World Skills is a great way of inspiring a generation of young people and allowing them to demonstrate that they have skills which compete with the very best in the UK and in the world. It will also reinforce to international organisations that the UK has a world class workforce, confidently able to compete on a global stage.

  11. David Gallagher

    WorldSkills is a fantastic platform to showcase the talents of our young people on the world stage and demonstrate the strength of our technical and vocational education system. Events of this scale, similar to large sporting events, create a ripple effect of excitement and anticipation, and a positive legacy which can be felt in the economy and society for many years after. In the case of WorldSkills, having the opportunity to host the competition in 2027 has the potential to engage and inspire a whole new generation of learners. The process of bidding to host, and hopefully securing WorldSkills 2027, will provide a welcome boost for the UK skills market and the country’s morale as a whole.

  12. Sarah Odor

    Hosting this prestigious event would be a real boost to the FE and Skills provision in this country and would allow those who study and work so hard to improve skills and in return employment opportunities for young people. It would demonstrate high level skills and inspire others to make positive choices about their learning in an expansive range of vocational areas and shine a spotlight on an often overlooked sector.

  13. Here at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, we have always believed that competitions are an excellent way of enabling students to practice real-world employability skills, inspiring them to get enthusiastic about their future career options.
    Hosting the international WorldSkills competition would enable the UK to benefit from global best practice, research and insight heralding a step-change in commitment to the UK government’s ambition to deliver world class standards in technical education.

  14. Mark Dale

    Portland College is backing this bid. Competitions raise the aspirations of learners and help them to achieve more. This is the most prestigious skills competition of all. Let’s recapture the spirit of 2012.

  15. Joanna Ableson

    WorldSkills is a fantastic opportunity for the UK to showcase the skills and determination of our young people who have chosen apprenticeships as the route to their career goals. Hosting WorldSkills will inspire and motivate others to participate in work based learning.

  16. Paul Eeles

    We at Skills and Education Group are fully behind the bid to bring World Skills to the UK in 2027. The opportunity to show case the UK talents in this prestigious Event which would bring the skills World stage here to the UK is one we can’t miss.

  17. Mark Dawe

    As part of the UK’s global outlook post Brexit, now is the right time to bring the competition back to this country. We’re seeing how countries like China and Russia are recognising the role these competitions play in raising skills levels and working with employers, we need to do more here. For the levelling up agenda, it would be great if we could mount a bid for a city other than London.