Olympics fever
Watching the London 2012 Olympics has been a timely reminder that outstanding performance doesn’t happen overnight. The athletes competing in the Games spent years training to reach the limits of their physical abilities, driven by their desire to be the best. Victors don’t get to the winners’ podium by resting on their laurels.
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At SummitSkills, we have recently completed the regional heats of our own competitions – to find the best skilled BSE sector craft operatives through our Skill M&E challenges. The talented young people taking part in the SkillELECTRIC, SkillFRIDGE, SkillPIPE and SkillPLUMB competition heats also had to show some of that Olympic spirit. They have trained and prepared for the technical challenges they faced. All have benefitted from the support of their employers and training providers, but at the end of the day it was their own dedication, determination and professionalism which enabled them to compete.
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| Keith Marshall OBE, Chief Executive of SummitSkills |
For this reason I always find our skills competitions inspiring. These up and coming building services engineering professionals show a real commitment to providing the sort of high quality services which, as the Sector Skills Council for the BSE sector, SummitSkills works hard to safeguard. For our sector in particular it’s crucial to continue our development as professionals and make sure that our skills are up to date. We work hard with employers, training providers and Government to make sure that the right training is available to deliver what employees and their employers need, both now and in the future. Our commitment to maintaining and developing our skills drives our sector forward, especially at a time when many expect there to be increasing demand to fit environmental technologies which require a new range of skills and knowledge. The future performance of our sector depends on how well we prepare now, and making sure that there is a steady pipeline of talented people coming into our industries.
The UK’s pinnacle of skills competitions, The Skills Show, takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 15 to 17 November. The final of all four SkillM&E competitions will take place there, along with some 50 other skills competitions. Although it won’t quite have the spectacle of the Olympics opening ceremony it will be an event highlighting the best of the best when it comes to the UK’s vocational training. I’m looking forward to congratulating the winners as they take their well-earned places on the podium. I hope to see you there.
