South West College (SWC) Automotive apprentice Billie-Jo McKenzie is hoping to demonstrate her skills on both the European and World stages following her selection to Squad UK for the EuroSkills Competition in Graz, Austria and the international WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai.
Billie-Jo was invited to join the prestigious training and development programme run by WorldSkills UK after excelling in its national skills competitions, the finals of which were held last month at WorldSkills UK LIVE at the NEC in Birmingham.
The EuroSkills Competition will next be held in Graz, Austria in September 2020. The competition will feature over 500 of Europe’s most talented apprentices and students competing in over 40 different skills as they battle it out to be named the European Champion in their chosen skill.
The WorldSkills Competition, which will next be held in Shanghai, China in September 2021, takes place every two years and is known as the ‘Skills Olympics’. The competition will feature over 1000 of the world’s most talented apprentices and students competing in over 50 different skills as they battle it out to be named the World Champion in their chosen skill.
Ben Blackledge, Deputy Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:
“Congratulations to Billie-Jo, who has already excelled in the WorldSkills UK regional and national competitions, and now she will face an even tougher test as she looks to secure a place to represent the UK on the world stage. Billie-Jo has already dedicated hundreds of hours improving her skills to get to this level and there are months of hard work ahead with our training managers and performance coaches – enabling them to transform their careers and lives.”
Billie-Jo will undertake an intense training programme with WorldSkills UK, supported by her mentor at SWC, Declan McCaughey along with staff at Donnelly Group ahead of the final team announcements for both the Euro Finals and WorldSkills Shanghai.
Declan McCaughey, Automotive Lecturer said:
“It’s fantastic to see Billie-Jo selected for the UK squad to train towards the EuroSkills and WorldSkills Competitions. WorldSkills UK Competitions are renowned within the industry for accelerating the professional development of competitors whilst highlighting the value of apprenticeships. This is an exciting process for Billie-Jo and SWC and we wish Billie-Jo well with her preparations to make the final squad for Austria and Shanghai.”
Click here for further information on Automotive courses at SWC please email Declan McCaughey