“As an employer, Skills Competitions help us support our staff to develop more than just their technical skills.”
Why Airbus say Skills Competitions are a key to developing the workforce of the future.
A leading global aerospace brand with a presence in Wales has highlighted the importance of Skills Competitions to help develop new staff in the industry.
Airbus has offices in Newport, which specialises in secure connectivity, cyber solutions and the security of critical infrastructure in the UK and Deeside, which specialises in the manufacturing of aircrafts.
The global brand has taken on hundreds of Welsh apprentices and supported young people to develop their technical skills through an apprenticeship programme, as well as giving apprentices the opportunity to take part in Skills Competitions.
Darren Collins, Training Manager at Airbus said:
“Airbus are passionate about giving people the opportunity to develop and learn new skills. It’s key for us as a business that we train young people to bring them into the industry. We encourage and support our apprentices to take part in Skills Competitions because it can help set them stand out from the crowd and they gain so much from competing.”
In Wales, the Inspiring Skills project manages Skills Competition Wales - an annual competition bringing together students from across 60+ skill areas to compete against each other to raise the standard of skills here in Wales.
Funded by Welsh Government and run by a dedicated network of colleges, work-based learning providers and employer-led organisations, the competitions are free to enter and will run from January to March in 2024.
As industry develops, so does the competition programme, with new ‘green skills’ competitions on offer for learners to develop the latest skills to support a more sustainable industry and workforce.
Darren Collins continues:
“We’ve had some real success stories with apprentices who have competed at Skills Competitions. We also find that it’s helped us promote our work opportunities to more females, as the industry has typically been quite male dominated. One female competitor had success at a Skills Competition and that helped us show that our opportunities are for everyone.
As an employer, I can always spot those apprentices who have competed - they have a slight edge on the shop floor because they’ve had the experience of competing against some of the best young people in the industry.”
Typically, Skills Competition Wales is just the start of the journey for learners in Wales to compete, with many going on to compete at a UK National level, and beyond to represent Team GB at WorldSkills.
Richard Wheeler, Engineering Sector Champion for the Inspiring Skills Project said:
“Competitions are an amazing way for young people to test themselves.
I’ve seen learners who are shy, develop not only their technical skills but also their personal skills and progress from competing on a Wales level, through to competition at UK National finals. From the skills they develop to the experience they gain, there are so many benefits for learners who compete.
I feel honoured to be able to train such talent within my industry and would encourage any employer to explore the value of supporting their staff to take part in Skills Competitions.”