Following on from the success of the London 2012 Olympics, a young aircraft engineer from Fleet, Hampshire, is looking to achieve success at a very different international competition – WorldSkills Leipzig 2013.
Ben Tullett, 21, who is a former apprentice with RAF Odiham, was selected for Team UK for WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 after battling it out over four days of tough competition.
Ben will join 30 other young skilled people, who are currently in employment, completing an Apprenticeship or studying, as Team UK for WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. Ben will compete against the best young aircraft engineers from across the world in the Aircraft Maintenance Category.
Taking place from 2 – 7 July in Leipzig, Germany, WorldSkills is the largest international skills competition in the world. The event is held every two years in cities around the globe and the competition sees around 1000 young people, aged 18 – 25, come together to compete for medals in more than 40 different skills including Electrical Installation, Welding, Bricklaying, Cooking and Landscape Gardening.
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said: “Those representing the UK at WorldSkills will play a hugely important role in promoting the importance and value of vocational skills and practical learning to young people, their parents and employers. I offer my congratulations to every member of the team.”
Many of the competitors were invited to compete in the selection process after excelling at the WorldSkills UK National Competitions, the finals of which are now held at The Skills Show. Ben will undertake an intense training programme from now until the Competition in July supported by the RAF and his Training Manager Mike Cunningham. Mike is employed by H&S Aviation Ltd
Jaine Bolton, Chief Operating Officer, National Apprentice Service and UK Official Delegate to WorldSkills International said: “I offer my congratulations to every young person that has earned a place in Team UK.
“As this year’s National Apprenticeship Week draws to a close, the announcement of Team UK really does provide the inspiration for young people and adults to be ambitious in their pursuit of skills to the highest level.”
Team UK will be hoping to build on the success of the last WorldSkills Competition, held in London in 2011. At that Competition, the UK won five Gold, two Silver, six Bronze medals and 12 Medallions for Excellence in front of an audience of 200,000.
Ben Tullett, 21, Team UK member in Aircraft Maintenance said: “It is a huge honour to have been selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. It still really hasn’t sunk in! I hope I can use this opportunity to inspire the next generation of the UK’s workforce and showcase how vocational training can lead to successful employment opportunities.
“I know the next few months will be tough as I will be in training for the event and I really hope the whole of the country gets behind Team UK like they did for our Olympic Team!”
For profiles of all 31 Team UK members visit www.worldskillsteamuk.org
