Hundreds of skilled and talented FE students from across the UK last week fought for a chance to take place in WorldSkills, the world’s largest skills competition.

They descended upon Stephenson College and North Hinckley and Warwickshire College, following the confectionery selections held in London late last month.

After months of preparation, competitors underwent a series of challenging tasks over several days, competing for a chance to represent the UK in next year’s WorldSkills Championship in Leipzig, Germany. Judges were on the lookout for the cream of FE talent, with hopes of beating last year’s tally of four gold medals.

The two colleges were transformed by the WorldSkills UK team into testing and examination centres. Stephenson was the base for skills such as stone masonry (a gold medal-winning skill for the UK last year) and refrigeration; while over in Nuneaton, North Hinckley and Warwickshire staged selections that included hairdressing, web design and cookery.

Competing in an international competition is by far one of the greatest symbols of achievement in any skill; competing within WorldSkills provides much more – and has become a life enhancing opportunity for many competitors.

Former Weston College student and now staff member, Hayley Wright, who competed in beauty therapy at last year’s world competition in London, spoke to FE Week about the opportunities that being a competitor has created.

Helping at this year’s selections, Hayley said, “I had always dreamed of owning my own beauty therapy salon one day; never in a million years did I expect to be standing here today mentoring the UK’s competitors in a global competition.

Nigel Leigh, principal of Stephenson College and Marion Plant, principal of North Hinckley and Warwickshire College

“I picked up many new skills as a competitor. These were recognised by my college, who, after the competition, encouraged me to become a teacher. I’m now doing my training and absolutely loving it.

“Would-be squad members love the fact that as alumni we are able to offer a perspective as previous competitors. It provides much greater reassurance and allows us to pass on the skills that we were taught.”

A key aim of WorldSkills UK and the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), who have responsibility for managing the UK’s entry and performance in WorldSkills, is to ensure that all former competitors are an integral part of the training process. A relaunch of an independent alumni association and advisory board is in the latter stages of development and is expected to be launched in the next couple of months.

Competitors would be unable to develop and succeed at these competitions without the immense support that the professionals provide. Peter Waters, training manager for painting, explained that before the shortlist selection, competitors had undergone various training programmes to help to prepare them not only for the competitions but also the exposure that they would receive.

The opportunity to become a squad member provides a truly stretching and stimulating training programme that has invaluable benefit to competitors

“I have been working with these particular students since April of this year. Only a few weeks ago the three competitors here today spent almost two weeks with me developing their skill and making their approach to the competition more professional. Getting this far in the competition provides them with the opportunity to undertake one of the most comprehensive and challenging training programmes around, leading to the acquisition of skills that are stronger than the typical industry standard.”

Marion Plant, principal of North Hinckley and Warwickshire College and a WorldSkills champion (official supporter), is one of the loudest and most vocal supporters of the transforming nature that WorldSkills can provide. “Even before I became principal our college was taking part in WorldSkills competitions; they are a major part of what we do here and have become central to our business strategy.

“The impact has been two-fold. First, there has been the positive impact that it has had on our success rates. Skills competitions are now embedded within the teaching and learning of all courses, leading to more than 74 per cent of our students’ participating in a WorldSkills-associated activity last year.

Ofsted also recognised our engagement with WorldSkills as positive. Second, and most important from my perspective, is the transformational impact that it has had on the culture of our college.”

Nigel Leigh, principal of Stephenson College, said that he agreed the competition engaged and encouraged students across all levels. “As the college principal I act as the East Midlands Regional WorldSkills champion and I encourage providers in our region to incorporate competitions into their work, and to use them as one way of promoting their organisation at the Skills Show at the NEC in November.”

Jaine Bolton, director at NAS and UK official delegate to WorldSkills International, said: “I feel privileged to be able to be part of the selection for our UK Squad. It’s overwhelming to witness the determination and hard work of our competitors, training managers and professional coaches. “For those that are selected, these competitions are just a small part of an incredibly challenging and enhancing year. The opportunity to become a squad member provides a truly stretching and stimulating training programme that has invaluable benefit to competitors.”

Ultimately just one competitor, from each of 41 skills, will represent the UK at the 2013 WorldSkills Championship; the next few months will be spent ensuring that team UK is prepared to compete in the global arena.

Most competitors who make it into Squad UK will also take part at EuroSkills in Belgium in October this year. The squad selections will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

FE Week will be following the journey of the UK competitors from selection to the grand finale at the Leipzig WorldSkills Show in 2013.

As another review into apprenticeships begins, guest reporter Shane Chowen visits Switzerland and reports on what we can learn from their apprenticeship system

“For me the decision was easy. Most of the students at my school got apprenticeships, my dad did an apprenticeship; it’s a normal thing to do here. I’m looking forward to working for a few more years before going to university.”

This quote, from a fourth year IT apprentice at a large Swiss bank might strike you as unusual for all sorts of reasons. You probably don’t know any Swiss IT apprentices for a start. It might be the fact that most of his class went on to do an apprenticeship. In fact, in 2011, two thirds of Swiss school-leavers went on to do apprenticeships. It might be that he’s a fourth year apprentice. Almost all apprenticeships last for three years in Switzerland, some trades require four but never less than three.

Or maybe it’s that he’s off to uni in a couple of years; about 20 per cent of apprentices take what’s called the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate which entitles them to a place at a University of Applied Science and, if they pass a further aptitude test, one of the country’s two Federal Institutes of Technology.

The academic and vocational education systems are intertwined so this kind of progression is possible and the universities are managed so that they can’t select between people who are qualified; if you get the grades you get a place.

In last week’s FE Week, I reported on my recent study trip to Switzerland through the Swiss Embassy and an organisation call Presence Switzerland. It was a packed programme and I learned a lot. But what can we learn from a system that has the game-changing advantage of being embedded within the nation’s culture for more than a century?

Employers know that that it is their responsibility to deliver occupational and vocational training to a high standard, they know that they are training a member of their own team and so are willing to invest in them and in the next generation of their trade.

To start, we need to agree on who and what apprenticeships are for and build a system around that, rather than letting a system develop and then arriving at debates over definitions. Of course you can’t create a consensus overnight, but in Switzerland, for example, everyone knows where they stand.

Employers know that that it is their responsibility to deliver occupational and vocational training to a high standard, they know that they are training a member of their own team and so are willing to invest in them and in the next generation of their trade. When asked about how he would react if someone he paid to train left to work for a competitor, one trainer told me “it’s an opportunity; we need to understand why they didn’t want to work here anymore.”

Professional associations know that they act as guardians to their occupations; they know that they need to safeguard for the future by telling the apprenticeship system what is needed, and they know they need to be driven by employers to monitor short term employment and skills needs. Vocational schools (a bit like FE colleges) are state owned, they know that it is their responsibility, on behalf of the state, to provide a broader, general education including things such as languages, citizenship and sport alongside their vocational studies.

For too long, perhaps, we’ve seen apprenticeships as something intentionally separate from the education system and forgot the education part of it. Vocational training, no matter how specific a framework, is still education; which means creating a holistic experience of learning a trade, becoming an active citizen and being able to thrive in your community. I think that we forget that here sometimes, and it wouldn’t take centuries of cultural development to change that.

Then comes the responsibilities of the state, which in Switzerland are devolved to the cantons. One of the reasons that the Swiss believe their system is successful (as they judge by their low youth unemployment figure of 7.2 per cent) is the devolved nature of their apprenticeship system means that the professions and companies say what skills are needed, and where and what the jobs are, which feeds directly then into careers advice and in shaping the curriculum. It also works because there is a single curriculum for each trade or profession.

A ‘national curriculum’ for each trade leading towards a single, universally (not in the cosmic sense) recognised federal qualification. It’s straightforward, young people at school understand it, companies know what they’re getting from job applicants and they know how to influence things outside the flexibilities they get in the frameworks. In other words, an apprentice plumber in a north west canton of Switzerland will follow the same curriculum for the same qualification as an apprentice plumber in a south west canton.

All of this has been possible because politicians have kept well away.

There’s a legal requirement that every five years, curricula of the federal vocational qualifications have to be reviewed to ensure that the trades and professions evolve and adapt with the times. This process involves the relevant professional association, the cantons and the federal government, to a minimal degree, under the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training.

They see no need for private providers, or for awarding organisations.

The state also takes its careers guidance responsibilities seriously. We visited the cantonal offices of Solothurn where we were shown what is effectively a local authority website displaying all the apprentice vacancies in the area; and because apprenticeships start with the academic year, companies can easily plan when a third or fourth year is about to graduate so they can get recruiting early on. It’s was a bit like a cross between UCAS and the FE Week jobs page.

All of this has been possible because politicians have kept well away. They’ve created an infrastructure that gives confidence to the public and they’ve let the players do their thing within it. Effectively, the apprenticeship system is able to run and develop by itself on its own terms, not facing excruciating reform at every change of administration. The local authorities are empowered through law and employers are empowered through their respective professional associations.

What else do you need?