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All 43 members of Team UK were honoured yesterday (9 November) at a Welcome Back Reception which was held at One Great George Street, London, to celebrate their fantastic achievements at WorldSkills London 2011. Members of Team UK were joined by Team UK Ambassador and Olympic 100 metre relay Gold Medallist Jason Gardener MBE.

At WorldSkills London 2011, which took place at ExCeL London from 5 - 8 October, Team UK triumphed, winning an impressive five gold, two silver and six bronze medals. The medals were won in skills including cooking, bricklaying, visual merchandising, welding and car painting.  This places the UK 5th in the world - the best ever placing in the medals table.

Team UK competed against 1000 competitors from 52 countries/regions and were watched by over 200,000 visitors over the four days of tough competition. In addition to the thirteen medals achieved, Team UK were also awarded twelve Medallions for Excellence in skills ranging from web design to restaurant service.  This honour is awarded to those competitors who reach the world class level in their skill discipline.

At the Welcome Back Reception each member of Team UK was presented with a certificate of participation for competing at WorldSkills London 2011.

Jason Gardener MBE, who spent time with Team UK before the event to share his experience of competing on a world stage, said:"Each member of Team UK should be incredibly proud of what they achieved at WorldSkills London 2011. Competing on an international stage takes a huge amount of training, dedication and focus and the team demonstrated that they can take on the very best from across the world. Team UK are great ambassadors for the UK's youth and I hope their achievements at WorldSkills London 2011 inspire future generations to achieve success." 

Team UK is managed by the National Apprenticeship Service.  The team was supported in its medal success by Edge, the independent education foundation, the Premier Supporter of Squad and Team UK and Brathay Trust, the Premier Training and Development Partner of Squad and Team UK.

Following the success of WorldSkills London 2011 it was announced by the Skills Funding Agency and the National Apprenticeship Service that the annual cycle of WorldSkills UK National Competitions will culminate every year in a major event which will take place at a single public venue, over one week in October. This will provide a public showcase of further education, apprenticeships and training, celebrating the very highest achievements of learners.

The 2012 cycle of WorldSkills UK National Competitions are now open for entry. Exceptional participants in this cycle of competitions may be invited to compete for a place in Team UK for the next international WorldSkills Competition, which takes place in Leipzig, Germany in 2013. For more information visit www.worldskillsuk.org

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For more information please contact:

Kate Moloughney, PR Manager, Team UK on 07810156478 / kate.moloughney@ukskills.org.uk

Tom York, Senior PR Executive, Team UK on 07825341443 / tom.york@ukskills.org.uk