UVAC Champions Access and Opportunity Through Continued Support of WorldSkills UK Competitor Support Fund
UVAC Champions Access and Opportunity Through Continued Support of WorldSkills UK Competitor Support Fund
UVAC is proud to celebrate the success of the 2024/25 WorldSkills UK Competitor Support Fund, a key initiative that UVAC has supported since its inception in 2022. The fund plays a vital role in ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent talented young people from accessing the transformative opportunities offered by WorldSkills UK competitions.
In the latest competition cycle, the fund awarded £6,034 to help over 118 young competitors cover essential costs such as travel, childcare, accommodation, and specialist equipment. Many recipients came from underrepresented backgrounds, including ethnic minority communities, neurodivergent individuals, and high-deprivation areas across the UK.
UVAC’s support of the fund is part of its broader commitment to equity, diversity, and widening participation in vocational education and training. It is essential that access to skills development and competition is based on talent and potential, not personal circumstance and we are proud to partner with WorldSkills UK to remove barriers and promote opportunity.
Testimonials
“I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the support provided through the Support Fund during the WorldSkills UK National Finals. As I do not have any organizational sponsorship to cover my travel expenses, the fund was extremely helpful in covering the significant travel costs […] This made a huge difference in my ability to participate fully and perform my best.” – Hayley, competitor.
“I have received help from the support fund, and it really helped with my travel expenses for both the regionals and the finals. Especially as I’m an international student with no steady source of income, it was indeed helpful for me to manage the competition expenses.”– Adhi, competitor.
“It was amazing to know that we had all of our essentials covered so that we could attend. Spending a week away from home is costly for young people so to have travel covered through the support fund really reduced the burden for my learner and enabled them to focus on the competition at hand. WorldSkills UK really is a life changing experience!”– Matthew, educator.
The impact is clear: supported competitors achieved 28 medals and commendations at the National Finals, and surveys show that 89% felt more employable and 92% could apply their new skills directly to work or study.
Looking ahead, UVAC welcomes WSUK’s plans to increase grant amounts in line with the cost of living and improve outreach to underserved regions. We remain committed to helping all young people realise their potential through skills excellence.
“Supporting individuals to realise their potential must be at the heart of both the further education and higher education approach to skills provision. For over a decade UVAC has had a close strategic partnership with World Skills UK (WSUK). Since the early days of WSUK LIVE, the UK’s largest apprenticeships, skills, and careers event, we have had a shared ambition to promote higher technical, professional education and skills delivery and the development of high-quality provision. This has included maintaining a shared and ambitious approach to raising standards in technical education. UVAC’s commitment to the Competitor Support Fund is a strong reflection of this ambition.”
