This year’s national finals mark the culmination of a long journey towards skills excellence by many exceptional young people. 6,533 registered for skills competitions in over 40 different disciplines. Over 400 talented students and apprentices will be going for gold in Greater Manchester, competing at eight host venues including Bolton College, Manchester College, University of Manchester, Oldham College, Rochdale Training, Tameside College, Trafford and Stockport College Group and Wigan and Leigh College.

UVAC is WorldSkillsUK ’s higher education partner and has in membership over 80 UK higher education institutions and universities, with a clear mission and mandate to champion technical and vocational programmes that support progression into higher level skills, into registered professions and onwards to higher paid careers.

For over ten years UVAC has had a close strategic partnership with WorldSkills UK. Since the early days of WorldSkills UK Live! events we have had a shared ambition to showcase the potential of higher technical, professional education and skills delivery and to raising standards in delivery.

Since 2022 UVAC has also been proud to partner with WorldSkills UK on its Competitor Support Fund. UVAC’s contribution towards the fund is a way of demonstrating our wider commitment to learning and progression opportunities for young people.

The fund provides direct financial support to those who have faced barriers to entering the WorldSkills UK national competitions with a wider ambition of breaking down barriers for young people so that those from any background can access life-changing opportunities by competing on a regional, national, and international stage.

UVAC is delighted to be supporting competitors this year by making a significant contribution to help cover their travel costs, day-care for dependents, equipment and clothing for competing, and supporting small- to medium-sized employers in releasing their apprentices to compete. UVAC’s invitation is that those entering skills competitions look to apply to the fund in future to help support individual competitors’ ambitions to be world-class in their particular industry, skill or profession.

Together, WorldSkills UK and UVAC are ensuring that more young people, right across the UK, can access world-class training through WorldSkills UK’s competition-based training programmes.

UVAC wishes all finalists in this year’s national finals, hosted so exceptionally well by Greater Manchester for a second successive year, the very best of luck.

#WSUKFinals2024