Last week, Team UK returned from EuroSkills Herning with six medals. Each medal represented years of hard work and dedication from young people determined to test themselves against the very best in Europe.
It’s a proud moment for the competitors, their families, their training managers and for the UK. As this was my first competition in my capacity as a WorldSkills UK trustee, I felt that pride deeply.
Yet these inspiring moments should also give us pause. There’s been a decline in the number of medals we’ve achieved in recent years and in our international rankings. This trend is not about the team’s capability; they’re as talented and driven as ever. However, it does reflect the environment they are training and competing in. One which has been undermined by deep cuts to WorldSkills UK (WSUK) and skills system funding over many years.
Meanwhile, other countries are doubling down on investment in skills, seeing WorldSkills as a strategic tool to boost competitiveness and productivity.
Despite these funding challenges, WorldSkills UK has worked hard to juggle successive funding cuts by diversifying its income. Today, less than half its revenue comes from the Department for Educatdion, with the rest generated through partnerships and commercial sponsorship. This resilience has been impressive. But there’s more that could be done if the organisation were fully supported across government and industry.
The government regularly talks about its ambition to fix the UK’s productivity problem. If so, then WorldSkills UK should be part of the solution; bringing together government, education and industry in a way few other organisations can.
This is about more than medals. WorldSkills’ true value lies in the pyramid effect it creates across the skills system and economy.
At the very top of the pyramid are the competitors. Those few young people who push themselves to world-class standards. But to get them to that level requires thousands of others: students, apprentices, educators and employers.
For a competitor to succeed, their training manager must be at the cutting edge of both global industry standards and teaching practice. This approach is then taken back into colleges, training providers and workplaces. WSUK embeds this knowledge, raises expectations and drives improvement for countless others who may never compete, but who benefit from the higher standards set.
This is how WorldSkills UK builds capacity across the system. It’s how skills excellence spreads from the competition floor to classrooms and businesses. And it helps tackle one of our most urgent challenges… raising productivity.
The UK cannot afford complacency. Our international colleagues are not standing still. South Korea, Germany, France, Switzerland and China treat WorldSkills as a vital component of their industrial strategy. You can see how seriously they take it by the sheer size of the teams they enter, and ultimately the number of medals they win.
At EuroSkills Herning, entire blocks of several hundred supporters turned out for Team France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, creating a sea of colour and energy. Other European nations, such as Estonia and Hungary, are beginning to dominate in fast-growing areas like IT and communications, reflecting targeted investment and strategy in those fields. Through investing and aligning education and business they will reap the rewards in global competitiveness.
The UK risks treating it as an optional extra. If we allow our involvement with WorldSkills to wither, we send the wrong signal – that we are not serious about investing in our people, our educators or our future.
The government should see WorldSkills for what it is. A proven, international tool for raising standards and boosting productivity.
Employers should partner with WorldSkills UK and invest in the young talent who will drive their businesses forward. Educators should continue to embrace the opportunities competitions provide to innovate and grow.
Team UK’s performance in Herning was inspiring, showing we have great potential. But it also highlights what’s at stake. With well-funded support, those six medals could be the foundation of many more in Shanghai next year and, more importantly, a stronger, more productive UK economy.
WorldSkills is not a luxury. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to waste.
EducationScape is publisher of FE Week.
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