Skills Olympics

Llanelli’s Finest Set to ‘Fly in Desert’ Skilled Elite Prepare for toughest test

The UK’ finest skilled young pioneers are preparing to ‘fly’ in
the desert at the start of the World’s most prestigious skills
event.

ALFIE HOPKIN FROM & ELIZABETH FORKUOH FROM PWLL, LLANELLI have
arrived in Abu Dhabi as part of Team UK to compete in the WorldSkills
Finals.

Having battled through regional heats a national final, a Team UK
selection process and months of intensive training, 34 skilled young
apprentices (or former apprentices) are heading for the ‘Skills
Olympics’ – the 44th WorldSkills Finals.

Alfie Hopkin, 19, will be competing in the Web Design competition.
Alfie learnt his craft at Coleg Sir Gar and is now ready to take on
the World in Abu Dhabi.

Elizabeth Forkuoh, 21, will be competing in the Restaurant Services
Competition. Elizabeth trained at Coleg Sir Gar and now works at the
World famous Gleneagles Hotel.

The team took part in a cultural exchange at the Al Ezzah School in
Abu Dhabi and came face to face to face with an exotic desert falcon.

More than 1,000 young people, from 77 nations, who are specialist in
51 different disciplines from hairdressing to aircraft maintenance
plumbing to 3D Games design, are competing for gold, silver and bronze
medals.

Team UK is supported by WorldSkills UK, funded by the DfE which
business and has pioneered radical hothousing methods to bring young
apprentices to international standards.

Methodology and techniques from elite sports training have been honed
to help produce the very best exponents of dozens of disciplines and
trades.

At the last WorldSkills Finals in 2015, held in Sao Paulo, Team UK
finished 7th above favourites France and Germany.

This year’s competition is seen as a litmus test for the nation’s
ability to cope when the free movement of skilled labour is withdrawn
in 2019.

Speaking at a ministerial send-off at the House of Commons, Dr Neil
Bentley, CEO of WorldSkills UK said: “This is just like the Olympic
Games, competing teams from numerous nations with gold silver and
bronze medals up for grabs – and World class standards about to be
set.

“Team UK achieved its best ever result in 2015 – and that level
of performance is what we are aspiring to

“The heat of competition will be as fierce as the heat of the
desert – but we are ready.”

The Olympic style opening ceremony Saturday (October 14th) night sees
the start of four days of competition with the results being announced
on Thursday night (October 19th).