It’s a no brainer. Ensuring everyone reaches their potential is vital in both further education (FE) and higher education (HE). Being asked to write blogs, speak at network events, contribute to excellence reports, participate in international knowledge exchange visits and having direct involvement of, and giving support to, WorldSkills UK equality, diversity, and inclusion policies is a privilege. WorldSkills UK’s mission and vision helps fuel UVAC’s passion for getting recognition for the role of universities in delivering skills solutions, and for showcasing how universities have a critical and proven role to play, working with colleges and other training providers and employers to design new qualifications, new programmes and different modes of engagement. UVAC is immensely proud to be WorldSkills UK’s first ever higher education partner.

Why are skills competitions important in helping graduates and degree apprentices develop the skills employers are looking for?

WorldSkills UK is more than just about skills competitions but that remains an important area for expansion into higher education as competitions have developed in areas of higher-level skills such as Industry 4.0 and industrial robotics. Skills competitions give students the chance to reach for international standards in their chosen field and to compete on a global stage and degree apprentices can deploy their learning from the workplace into their competition training and aspire to be amongst the best, regionally, nationally and potentially internationally, in their occupational field and industry, assessed against world-class benchmarks. Competitions also help to build capacity for autonomous learning and leads to self-efficacy with a strong belief in achieving personal and professional goals.

How can UVAC’s members benefit from working with WorldSkills UK?  

Our members are mostly publicly funded universities and they can benefit from the exchange of practice between different types and sizes of providers. The WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence is a perfect example of the huge benefit gained from working with WSUK as it brings together further and higher technical education colleagues, employers, and stakeholder partners to discuss high quality CPD focussed on raising standards, championing future skills, and empowering young people and businesses to succeed, mainstreaming international and national best practice.

Joining a global community of thought leadership, being interested in how to embed international best practice to advance technical and professional education are other benefits. Together, UVAC (through its university membership and published research) and WorldSkills UK (though its connectivity across colleges, training providers, and awarding organisations) can ensure that educators, curriculum leads, ‘pracademics’, managers and senior leaders have insights from global skills systems and world-class practices to equip them with new knowledge and skills.

Why should UVAC’s members enter WorldSkills UK 2025? 

It demonstrates an understanding of the wider global aspiration for achieving world-class standards in training future high performing talent for the world of work. UVAC members should look to universities like University of Exeter and Middlesex University, for example, who have engaged with WorldSkills UK to embed competitions into the curriculum to encourage a different type of student engagement. It also allows institutions to keep their curriculum up to date by working with a network of employers and other providers which adds to the employability of and progression opportunities for competitors. The fit with the world of work is essential as well as allowing for diverse learners to compete in a well-supported environment. Driving up skills and standards and aspirations amongst young people starting out in their careers cannot be underestimated.