Young hospitality stars wanted

The competitions cover 70 skills and are open to young people and adults. Some 40 of these are in skills that the UK competes in at an international level. In addition many of the competitions, including cooking, confectionery and restaurant service could lead to selection into Team UK, who will take part in the WorldSkills, which will be hosted in London. Chief executive Simon Bartley said: "In a thousand days' time, on 6 October 2011, the young people of Team UK will be starting their first day of competition at WorldSkills London 2011. This is a huge event involving about a thousand young people from more than 50 nations competing over four days to complete their projects under intense time pressure. "Many of the skills that will form part of the competition at WorldSkills London 2011 are ones that are crucial to London successfully hosting the 2012 Olympic Games which starts a mere 294 days after WorldSkills begins. Constructions skills like welding and plumbing are all needed to create the Games' infrastructure while hospitality events like restaurant service and cooking are needed so the UK can cater for the influx of thousands of visitors." Skills Minister Lord Young added: "WorldSkills UK competitions support the government's skills strategy by helping to raise standards of training and performance, promoting world class skills and international competitiveness. This is vital in the current economic climate, and initiatives like WorldSkills UK ensure we maximise our skills talent so that the UK is well placed for the future." Entries close on 9 April with heats and national finals taking place over the spring and summer. Gold medal winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony in the autumn. Information on entry criteria and competitions for individual skills can be found at www.worldskillsuk.org