Who would have thought a careers event attracting thousands of young people to Birmingham would have roots leading to a Spanish dictator’s palace?

As organisers of this year’s Skills Show UK revealed 70,000 people attended the three-day event, the UK’s first WorldSkills competitor told FE Week of the show’s beginnings.

Doug Hill, now aged 77, was just a teenager when he went to Madrid and met dictator General Franco after winning silver in a woodworking competition. The experience led his father, Frederick, to push British people to compete in WorldSkills shows in Europe before the UK held its own event.

“Of course I didn’t know anything about politics — I was just a carpenter who wanted to prove to my father I was a good cabinet maker,” said Mr Hill.

It was 1953 and a young Mr Hill was working as an apprentice sharpening saws at his father’s factory workshop in Canterbury.

“One day I saw a leaflet in the library for a competition and I told my father I was a skilled worksman. He thought it was a good idea and took me across to the continent.

“It was frightening going to Madrid.  I kept expecting to meet other British competitors but I was the only one.  I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying but I could follow the instructions and drawings. “

The teenager won a silver medal that was presented at Franco’s palace.

“The palace was beautiful and I shook Franco’s hand but, at the time,  I didn’t realise he was a dictator.

“One minute I was planing a piece of wood in Canterbury and the next I was in this huge competition and then a palace — it was awe-inspiring,” he said.

Mr Hill’s father, who was heavily involved with the Scouts movement, thought the competition was a great idea and talked to as many officials as he could in Spain. When he came home he contacted big businesses such as Rolls–Royce and City & Guilds, but many didn’t want to know because of the awkward political situation with Spain.

“My father realised it wasn’t about politics but about the boys and the chance to prove themselves through competition. He got together a team and took them to Europe with his own money to compete.”

He said City & Guilds finally got on board and put on a UK Skills Show in the 1960s.

“I’m very proud of what he created and it’s been fantastic to see all the young people here at this year’s UK skills show. Apprenticeships are very important,” said Mr Hill, who went on to have a successful noticeboard company.

This year’s Skills Show, held at Birmingham’s NEC last month, provided information and inspiration on vocational training to 70,738 attendees, organisers said.

More than 60 “Have a Go” areas allowed visitors to try out a new skill while more than 50 talks were held on different vocational skills.

Mr Hill said he still gave talks to the Chamber of Commerce on the importance of apprenticeships.

A Northampton college has been given a trophy for helping improve adult literacy.

Learning adviser Joanna Aynsworth at Moulton College was presented with the bronze award by bestselling novelist Adele Parks at the Six Book Challenge in recognition of her work helping 64 adults get back into reading.

“I’ve met hundreds of emergent adult readers in libraries, workplaces and in learning centres during my time as Ambassador for the Six Book Challenge and I’ve found the experience extremely humbling,” said Adele Parks.

“It’s been a pleasure watching people discover reading for the first time and I’ve encountered a lot of under-confident and disadvantaged people who, by improving their reading skills, have drastically improved their opportunities in life.”

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock spoke at the event celebrating the fifth year of the scheme, which lets unconfident readers pick six books of their choice and record what they think in a diary.

“I welcome The Reading Agency’s campaign which is not only helping people to learn to read, but also giving them a desire to read. By improving the literacy and numeracy skills of the nation, we can transform people’s prospects, create a more highly skilled workforce and boost economic growth,”  he said.

East Midlands students have beaten off stiff competition from more than 160 college teams from across the country to win a trip to New York after impressing judges in a Dragon’s Den-style business competition.

The team of three New College Nottingham students pitched their idea for a mobile phone app that safeguards children to a panel of business experts at the Institute of Directors’ head office in London.

Construction students Darryl Whitworth, Austin Watson and Matt Newton, came up with a special transmitter that can be attached to a child in the form of a watch, hair bobble or shoe laces, and alerts the user if the child leaves a predetermined distance from the mobile phone.

“It’s still sinking in that we have actually won. There were so many fantastic business ideas that I never dreamt we would get this far,” said Darryl.

“I’ve enjoyed the whole experience. Working together with my two team mates to come up with our concept has been great and I’m looking forward to progressing our idea further.”

The winning team will travel to New York next year to present their idea to an American judging panel and will be in with the chance to win $100,000 as capital for their business.

The MarketMaker Experience competition was sponsored by the Gazelle Group.

Budding actors and directors picked the brains of a Hollywood star when he came to talk at a South East college.

BAFTA award winning actor, writer and director Justin Chadwick gave Central Sussex College’s sixth-form students top tips for success and discussed his new film Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom, due out next year.

Drama and film student Lee Bubb, 16, from Chelwood Gate, said: “Justin was an inspiration. He is proof that someone like me can follow a dream and become a film director. He has actually really spurred me on to work hard so that I can do something that I really want to do when I’m older.”

Subject leader for theatre studies, Paula Watkins, who organised the visit, said: “It is really important that students understand the nature of what is a very competitive industry.  Justin gave them a very honest insight into the highs and lows of the television and film world and valuable advice on how to be successful.”

An East Midlands student has competed against more than 200 people from around the world at the International Space Olympics in Russia.

Abbie Singleton, 16, was one of 30 young people in Team GB who were tested on their knowledge of space exploration.

“I had a fantastic time — meeting all sorts of people from different countries, visiting some of the landmarks in Russia and learning a great deal about the Russian space programme which was fascinating,” said the Derby College A-level student.

“The top prizes went to Russian students who have won every year since the programme started and my presentation category was particularly tough as I was up against American students who had benefited from special tutoring and input from the NASA team.

“The build-up and preparation seemed to go on for ever and I worked really hard to get everything ready, but the trip itself went really quickly and I can’t believe it is all over.”

As well as written exams in physics, maths and creative writing at the Space Olympics, Abbie gave a presentation on how the planet Mars could be adapted to cater for human life and was placed fifth out of 22 in the astro physics category.

A Welsh college made history when its video was chosen to be part of a time capsule presented to the Queen to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

The film made by Coleg Gwent independent living skills (ILS) students was one of 60 contributions to the capsule from 80,000 entries to the Royal Commonwealth Society.

The collection — the world’s biggest global digital archive of stories and memories —was presented to Her Majesty at a ceremony in London.

“We are thrilled to be part of history in the making, and to be presented to the Queen on such a wonderful occasion in her special Jubilee year,” said ILS tutor Victoria English.

“We were very proud to represent Coleg Gwent on such an amazing day. Students feel privileged to have had some brilliant insights into the lives and achievements of very well-known people in Wales, and we’re grateful to all of them for taking part with us. It’s been wonderful to record and share their stories and be involved in something original and creative to celebrate the Jubilee.”

Uniformed public service students have been helping fight crime in Greater Manchester.

Hopwood Hall College students joined police on patrol and gave tips to the community on keeping their houses safe as part of the force’s Dark Knights Campaign to cut down on burglary. The students, who have been studying the effects of crime, also handed out free lights that can be set to a timer to make homes safer.

“This valuable experience has enriched our students’ academic study. It is one thing for me to talk about crime prevention in the classroom but quite another for them to actually do it,” said their lecturer John Hall.

“They all found it rewarding and wanted more. What’s more, the feedback I have received from the police was excellent and we hope that our learners can participate in future initiatives.”

Kent’s top artists will be showing off their work to the public when Canterbury College hosts this year’s John Millest Art Show.

The free exhibition will feature work from current and former students and staff, as well as other local artists. Students will also be competing for their work to win the public vote to pocket £200.

Ex-college student Peter Whittlesea from BBC South East will open the show.

Art tutor Clive Soord, who is also part of the John Millest Trust, said: “This year we’ve opened the competition up to non-Canterbury College artists in order to involve the wider community. It’s a great chance for artists to show their art and gives many students their first experience of selling their work.”

All money raised from selling artwork will go to the John Millest Trust, which funds art studies within the college. The Trust was set up after the death in 1994 of John Millest, a popular and much respected lecturer in art and history of art at the college. It was his wish that any commemoration of him should benefit students.