In October 2011 , a year before the 2012 Olympic Games, the prestigious WorldSkills Competition comes to London!
WorldSkills is the biggest skills competition in the world and
challenges teachers, trainers and young skilled men and woman to
compete in over 40 different skills from over 50 different
countries/regions and ultimately become the best in the field.
In
2007, when I was 21, I flew to Japan to represent the United Kingdom in
the Pastry / Confectionery event. Not many people, other than maybe the
Under 21 National Football team, get to say that they have represented
their country at 21, and for me that was the instant hook when I was
first introduced to WorldSkills by Yolande Stanley MCA. Yolande was my
tutor at university and later became my Training Manager for
WorldSkills. The training I received was the absolute best; I was lucky
enough to go to France and train in some of the top places here in the
UK such as Claridges, The Lanesborough and Gleneagles.
The physical and mental training myself and the members of the Team got
was also invaluable. We were treated like athletes, with physical
exercise plans and diets to keep us at tip top condition to compete
against the rest of the world. This training resulted in me becoming
the highest placed British pastry chef at any WorldSkills competition
so far and winning the first coveted Medallion of Excellence, beating
France, Germany and Switzerland.
The
whole of the UK needs to get behind London in 2012, but first we need
your support in 2011 to make sure WorldSkills London 2011 is the best
and biggest WorldSkills competition ever! You can support in many
different ways and more information can be found worldskillslondon2011.com
Go
out and spread the word! Tell people about WorldSkills and get people
excited as much as I am about this brilliant competition coming to the
capital a year before the Olympic Games in 2012!!