An event designed to highlight the contribution being made by the building services engineering sector to WorldSkills International – which is due to be held in London in October 2011 – took place at the House of Commons on Monday, 17 November.

The reception was hosted by Claire Curtis-Thomas MP, in her capacity as chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Building Services Engineering Group, and sponsored by SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering, reveals HVCA’s press release. “Skills competitions help develop a culture of ambition and aspiration and raise skills standards throughout the workforce as well as encourage young people to focus on their future careers,” according to a statement from John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Mr Denham added that, by becoming involved in skills competitions, employers could provide their most talented employees with the opportunity to gain recognition for their abilities, and at the same time enhance the reputation of their business.

According to Simon Bartley, chairman of SummitSkills and chief executive of UK Skills, WorldSkills 2011 will be the biggest ever international skills competition, attracting 1,300 competitors from 50-plus countries across 47 disciplines. John Denham went on to point out that recent UK skills competitions run by Summitskills had showcased the professionalism and dedication of young people in the building engineering sector. The Summitskills competition finalists - Martin Davey (SkillFRIDGE), Christopher Lonsdale (SkillPLUMB), Richard Sagar (SkillELECTRIC), Jason Smith (SkillFRIDGE), Richard May (SkillFRIDGE), Scott Reid (Skill PLUMB), and Anthony Leng (SKILLfridge), were present.