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The European Social Fund is making funds available to help young people from disadvantaged areas explore training, skills and employment opportunities at WorldSkills London 2011

The European Social Fund (ESF) is providing just under half a £ million in funding to assist young people from disadvantaged areas in around the capital to attend WorldSkills London 2011, the world’s greatest skills Competition taking place this year (5-8 October) at ExCeL London.

WorldSkills London 2011 is in the process of contacting eligible schools, colleges and community groups – providing welcome news for groups who expressed an interest in the event but were not able to fund the costs of visiting.

Over 150,000 people are expected to attend WorldSkills London 2011, which is being hosted by the for the first time in 22 years. The event will see 1,000 Competitors (under 25 years) from over 50 countries/regions compete in 46 separate skills competitions, covering everything from graphic design, to cookery to mobile robotics. For visitors, the event offers a unique chance to Have a Go at dozens of new skills, meet employers, get independent advice and learn more about career opportunities – making it ideal for anyone who is unsure about their future career or looking for inspiration.

WorldSkills London 2011 supports the ESF objective of ensuring that young people and adults from disadvantaged communities have opportunities to develop their skills and obtain interesting and sustainable employment. Both the Competition and the linked, UK-wide programme of skills events and activities are designed to support the improvement of the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems; to ensure they are accessible to all; and to open up education and training to the wider world.

As part of its commitment to providing employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged people, ESF has committed to help to recruit and train 250 of the 2,500 volunteers needed to make the competition a success. It will also provide a special ESF Pavilion at the event; support around 38 ESF providers to exhibit free of charge; and support a further 50 to deliver WorldSkills London Have a Go activities across England − as part of the UK-wide programme designed to give people bite-sized tasters of all sorts of skills.

Aidan Jones, Executive Director of WorldSkills London 2011 says:

‘WorldSkills London 2011 will inspire young people to discover hidden talents and develop their skills. The financial assistance offered by ESF will ensure that young people who are most in need will not miss out on the opportunity to experience the biggest skills and careers event in the country.’

For more info rmation on WorldSkills London 2011 and to register for complimentary tickets to the event, please visit www.worldskillslondon2011.com

Contact details: Please call 020 7429 2829 and ask for Kate Dew. Out of hours media requests can be directed to 07507 548 893 or 07545 430 278.

Notes to editors

1.       ESF  support for WorldSkills London 2011

The ESF is focusing its support for the event in four areas:

Make it Happen – exhibition space: Around 38 additional ESF exhibitors targeted from London , South East and the East of England will benefit from free exhibition space within a special ESF Pavilion within the Make it Happen area.

Increasing attendance to WorldSkills London 2011: The ESF aims to attract 10,000 additional visitors to the event by offering financial assistance for travel and subsistence. Schools, colleges, providers and community groups in ‘harder to reach’ areas, where there is a greater chance of young people becoming ‘NEET’, are being targeted (specifically boroughs in London, Havering, Lewisham, Hillingdon, Islington, Greenwich, Enfield, Bromley, Barking & Dagenham, Newham and Croydon and some areas of the South East and the East of England.

Event wrap around activity: The ESF will provide input to the WorldSkills London 2011 Opening and Closing Ceremonies and its business, conference and event programme. In addition around 50 local ESF projects, run by colleges and providers, will receive financial support to provide Have a Go activities as part of the WorldSkills London 2011 UK-wide skills festival (19 September – 9 October.)

Volunteering: The ESF will help to recruit and co-ordinate an additional 250 volunteers for the event and support the training that they receive – funding Level 1 training for 50 individuals and induction  training for up to 200.

In total ESF is providing £1.4 million of technical assistance funds from the 2007-2013 and Gibraltar ESF programme to support the above activity. The programme aims to extend employment opportunities and develop a skilled and adaptable workforce.

2.       WorldSkills London 2011

WorldSkills London 2011 is the world’s greatest skills Competition. The event will see young people from across the world compete for medals in 46 categories across seven sectors:
•               Health, Public Services and Care

•               Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care

•               Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

•               Construction, Planning and the Built Environment

•               Information and Communications Technology

•               Retail and Commercial Enterprise

•               Arts, Media and Publishing

Taking place every two years, WorldSkills London 2011 will be the 41st WorldSkills Competition. The previously hosted the Competition in 1965 in Glasgow, and in 1989 in Birmingham . Every community and business in the thrives on skills, enterprise and inspiration. The WorldSkills London 2011 team (comprising 43 talented young people) is working to make sure that WorldSkills London 2011 acts as a catalyst to spark the ambitions not just of Competitors but of people across the country. Visitors to the event will discover how skills shape our world, get the chance to Have a Go at a wide range of skills activities, and have an opportunity to talk to a range of experts about future career options and opportunities. To find out more, visit: www.worldskillslondon2011.com

WorldSkills London 2011 Sponsors
WorldSkills London 2011 is jointly funded by Government and Industry. Sponsors include Premier Sponsors: City & Guilds and Samsung; Gold Sponsors: Cisco, Honda, Mori Seiki and Snap-on Industrial; Silver Sponsors: Geberit, Kunzmann Maschinenbau, learndirect, Lincoln Electric, L'Oréal Professionnel, Mitutoyo and XMA; and Bronze Sponsors: 3M, Acer, Autodesk, BAE Systems, BT, Fluke Corporation, HSBC, Nova Verta, The Royal Airforce, Ryman and Travis Perkins.

Each skill competition will be supported by a presenting sponsor, as well as a host of official suppliers who will provide world-class machinery, equipment, supplies, and technical support to facilitate the competition.