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BenefitsofDevelopingVocationalExcellenceProject3
DuVE:Developingandunderstandingvocationalexcellence
September2015
DrMaiaChankseliani,SKOPE,UniversityofOxford
DrSusanJames,SKOPE,UniversityofOxford
ProfessorKenMayhew,SKOPE,UniversityofOxford
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Preface
TheDevelopingandUnderstandingVocationalExcellence (DuVE)suiteofresearchprojects focuses
onWorldSkillscompetitions(WSC).Thisresearchistimelybecausethecurrentvocationaleducation
systemintheUnitedKingdomisstrugglingtomeetthedemandsoftheworkforceandtheneedsof
manyyoungpeople.Whileproblemswithvocationaleducationhavebeenwidelynotedinresearch,
fewstudieshavefocusedonunderstandingvocationalexcellence.Gainingthisunderstandingisthe
primaryaimoftheDuVEprojects.
WorldSkills competitions are held every two years and are organised byWorldSkills International
(WSI)aspartoftheirmissionto ‘raisetheprofileandrecognitionofskilledpeople,andshowhow
importantskillsareinachievingeconomicgrowthandpersonalsuccess’(WSI,2015).Approximately
1200competitorsfrom59countriesparticipatedinWorldSkillsSãoPaulo2015inBrazil.
The UK started to compete in WSC in 1953 and hosted competitions in Glasgow in 1965, in
Birmingham in 1989 and in London in 2011. In 1990UK Skillswas established as an independent
charitytoorganiseandsupportUKparticipationinWSC.RenamedWorldSkillsUKin2011,itisnow
part of Find a Future, a neworganisationwhich brings together skills and careers initiatives from
acrosstheUK.
TheWSC is recognisedbymanyas thepinnacleofexcellence invocationaleducationand training
(VET). The Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE) has been
researchingWSCsince2007tounderstandbetterhowvocationalexcellence isdevelopedthrough
competitionandto informthedevelopmentofSquadandTeamUK.Between2007and2009,two
small projects investigated the individual characteristics of the competitors and their workplace
learningenvironmentsandcoveredthecompetitioncyclesofWSC2009and2011.Theoverarching
questionsaddressedwere:
• Whatarethecharacteristicsofindividualswhoexcel?
• Whatkindsofsupportenablethedevelopmentofhigh-levelvocationalskills?
• How can vocational education be structured to aim not simply for adequate standards of
achievementbutforhighachievementthatreflectsworldclassstandards?
• Canbroadersocietalbenefitstodevelopingvocationalexcellencebeidentified?
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Following on from these two initial studies, the first phase of DuVE consisted of three projects
conductedbetween2011and2013, incorporating the competition cycle leadingup toWorldSkills
Leipzig2013:
• Project 1: What Contributes to Vocational Excellence? A study of the characteristics of
WorldSkillsUKparticipantsforWorldSkillsLeipzig2013
• Project2:LearningEnvironmentstoDevelopVocationalExcellence
• Project3:BenefitsofDevelopingVocationalExcellence
Find a Future then funded Phase 2, consisting of three follow-on projects and three new DuVE
projects.Thesixprojectsare:
• Project1:ModellingtheCharacteristicsofVocationalExcellence
• Project2:LearningEnvironmentstoDevelopVocationalExcellence
• Project3:BenefitsofDevelopingVocationalExcellence
• Project 4: Further Education College Participation in WorldSkills and other Skills
Competitions
• Project5:WorldSkillsUKCompetitorsandEntrepreneurship
• Project6:TrainingManagers:BenefitsfromandBarrierstoWorldSkillsUKParticipation
Takentogether,thissuiteofsixDuVEprojectsformsoneofthefivelegacyprojects(fundedbythe
NationalApprenticeshipServiceandnowFindaFuture),whichareintendedtouseevidence-based
researchtofurtherdevelophighqualityWorldSkillspractice.
Reports from the previous projects can be found on the DuVE website:
http://vocationalexcellence.education.ox.ac.uk/publications/reports/.
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TableofContents
Preface...................................................................................................................................................2
ListofAbbreviations..............................................................................................................................5
Executivesummary................................................................................................................................6
1.Introduction.......................................................................................................................................7
2.Approachandmethods.....................................................................................................................9
2.1.Participants.................................................................................................................................9
2.2.Analysis.....................................................................................................................................10
2.3.Limitations................................................................................................................................10
3.Whatdoweknowaboutthebenefitsofskillscompetitions?........................................................11
4.Beneficiariesofbenefitsofskillscompetitions...............................................................................13
4.1.Benefitsforcompetitors...........................................................................................................134.1.1.Technicalskillsdevelopment.............................................................................................134.1.2.Trainingandcompetitionprovidedopportunitiestodevelopnon-technicalskills...........144.1.3.ParticipationintheWSCbenefitedcareerdevelopment..................................................17
4.2.Benefitsforemployersandindustry........................................................................................194.2.1.Competitorsexposedtheiremployerstonewtechniquesorproducts............................194.2.2.Companiesreapedteamwork-relatedbenefits.................................................................204.2.3.Employersobservedenhancedemployeeperformance...................................................214.2.4.Employersenjoyedgoodpublicityandhigherprestige.....................................................214.2.5.Somecompaniesattractedmorebusinessclients............................................................224.2.6.Somefirmsreportedonorhopedforimprovementsinrecruitment...............................224.2.7.WSCbenefitssectors.........................................................................................................23
4.3.Widerpotentialbenefitofskillscompetitions:makingVETmoreattractiveforyoungpeople244.3.1.Skillscompetitionscanraiseawarenessaboutvocationaloccupations............................244.3.2.Skillscompetitionscanhelpyoungpeopleunderstandthatthevocationalroutecanleadtoarewardingcareer..................................................................................................................254.3.3.Lackofpublicity–themainimpedimenttowiderbenefits..............................................26
5.Concludingremarks.........................................................................................................................28
6.Recommendations...........................................................................................................................29
7.Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................31
8.References.......................................................................................................................................31
5
ListofAbbreviations
CT-CollegeTutor
DuVE-DevelopingandUnderstandingVocationalExcellence
FE-FurtherEducation
MoE-MedallionofExcellence
MoVE-ModellingVocationalExcellence
SKOPE-AresearchcentreonSkills,KnowledgeandOrganisationalPerformance
TM-TrainingManager
VET-VocationalEducationandTraining
WSA-WorldSkillsAustralia
WSC-WorldSkillsCompetition
WSI-WorldSkillsInternational
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Executivesummary
ThisprojectexaminedthebenefitsofskillscompetitionsaccruingtoWorldSkillscompetitors, their
employersand sectors, andwider society. Thebenefitsof skills competitions take time toaccrue;
therefore,thereportdoesnotexaminetheexperiencesofthemostrecentteamthatrepresented
theUKinSãoPauloinAugust2015.Theresultspresentedinthisreportarebasedon33individual
semi-structuredinterviewswith14competitorswhocompetedatWorldSkillsLeipzig2013andtheir
19associates.The latter included8employersand11familymembers/friends.Theresultsarenot
necessarilyrepresentativeofallstakeholders,butaresuggestiveof thearrayofbenefits thatWSC
participationcanproduce.ThemainbeneficiariesofWorldSkillsCompetitionsare thecompetitors
themselves. The majority of competitors reported enhanced confidence, and development of
communication skills and time management capabilities. Career development and progression
opportunities, particularly those related to self-employment, networking and professional
reputation,werealsoidentifiedasimportantbenefits.
Foremployersand industry, themainbenefitsof supporting theWSC related toexposure tonew
techniques or products, teamwork-related benefits, enhanced employee performance, good
publicityandhigherprestige,attractingmorebusinessclientsandsomeimprovementsinrecruiting
newtalent.
Finally,thestudysuggeststhatskillscompetitionscancontributetoimprovingtheattractivenessof
VETbyraisingawarenessaboutvocationaloccupationsandhelpingyoungpeopleunderstandthat
thevocationalroutecanleadtoagoodcareer.
ThestudyyieldsseveralissuesforFindaFuturetoconsider:
• Employersgavemanyexamplesofpositiveexperiences.Thesecouldbeusedtoformcasestudies
toshowthebenefitsforothernon-participatingemployers.
• Improving the publicity for not only WorldSkills competitions but national, regional and local
competitions.ThiscouldenhancethebenefitsofWorldSkillsforall.
• FindaFutureisworkinghardtopromotethevisitsofschoolchildrentotheSkillsShowinorder
to raiseawarenessofvocationaloccupations.Encouragingschools tovisit their localFEcollege
when localandregionalcompetitionsareoccurringcouldalsohelptoraiseawarenessnotonly
amongstschoolchildrenbutalsoamongsttheirteachersandparents.
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• FindaFuturecouldprovideaplatformforWScompetitorstospeakabouttheirexperiencesto
youngpeople.
1Introduction
Internationalskillscompetitionsstarted inpost-WWIIEurope. In1950the firstSkillOlympicswere
held between Portugal and Spain, involving 12 competitors. This competition has evolved into a
globalcontestknownastheWorldSkillsCompetition(WSC)heldeverytwoyears.AtWorldSkillsSao
Paulo2015,contestantsfrom59countriescompetedin49skillareas.
TheWSC is recognisedbymanyas thepinnacleofexcellence invocationaleducationand training
(VET).Thesecompetitionsprovidebothabenchmarkforhigh-performanceandanobjectivewayto
assessvocationalexcellence.Theyalsoprovideanopportunitytobetterunderstandthefactorsthat
contributetothedevelopmentofvocationalskillstoahighstandard.
In1990UKSkillswasestablishedasanindependentcharitytoorganiseandsupportUKparticipation
inWSC. RenamedWorldSkills UK in 2011, it is now part of Find a Future, an organisation which
bringstogetherskillsandcareersinitiativesfromacrosstheUK.1Youngpeople,mostlyaged18-22,2
compete in the skills competitions. They undergo a selection process that begins with numerous
regional and national competitions held throughout the UK. Competitors for these UK-based
competitionsmaybeFurtherEducationcollegestudentsorapprenticesoremployeesinenterprises
that recognise the benefits of skills competitions. Competitors are also identified through the
NationalApprenticeshipAwards,AwardingBodies,City&GuildsAwardsof Excellence, Sectorand
IndustryAwardsandthroughSectorSkillsCouncils.Theshort-listedcandidatesattendaresidential
induction programme. Advancement from the shortlist to the squad involves a ‘pressure test’.
Candidatesreceivetwoweekstraining,followedbyapressuretestbenchmarkedtotheWorldSkills
Internationalstandardsforfacilities,testprojects(oftenfromapreviousWSIcompetition),marking
schemes and rigour. After participating in a training programme over approximately six months
(includingfurthercompetitions),TeamUKisselectedfromthesquadmembers.Teamselectionisa
four-day competition event replicating as much as possible the conditions of a WorldSkills
1 Find a Future is responsible for WorldSkills UK skills competitions, The Skills Show and The Skills ShowExperience.MoreinformationonFindaFuturecanbefoundathttp://www.findafuture.org.uk.2TheupperagelimittocompeteataWSCis22;exceptionsare:InformationNetworkCabling,ManufacturingTeamChallenge,Mechatronics,andAircraftMaintenancewheretheagelimitis25years.
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Competition.After team selection, the competitors continuewith intensive skill development and
training3tobuildtheirskillstoworld-classstandard.
ThisreportfollowsonfromanearlierDuVEstudy(Mayhew,James,Chankseliani,&Laczik,2013)and
focusesonunderstandingthewiderbenefitsfromparticipatinginaWSC.Benefitscanaccruetothe
individual competitor or to other individuals and organisations associated with competitors. The
competitorcouldbenefithis/heremployerbybeingmoreproductiveandbypotentially increasing
theproductivityofotherworkers.Somecompetitorsmaybecomeself-employedandintheprocess
create jobs and economic opportunities for others. Industries may see the benefits in terms of
higherstandardsandimprovedprofile.Theimpactofcompetingmaychangenotjusttheaspirations
and attitudes of the contestants but also those of friends and family. There may also be wider
societal benefits related to making vocational education and apprenticeships more attractive to
youngpeopleandencouragingthemtochooseavocationalrouteintothelabourmarket.
This report is organised as follows. Section 2 provides details about the project, explains the
methodologyusedandtheparticipantsinvolvedinthisqualitativestudy.Section3providescontext
forthefindingsthroughaliteraturereviewonthebenefitsofskillscompetitions.Section4presents
findings.
3SomemembersofTeamUKalsocompeteinEuroSkillsaspartoftheirtraining:http://www.euroskills.org
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2Approachandmethods
Thischapterprovidesanoverviewof the researchmethodology,detailson thestudyparticipants,
thedataanalysisprocess,andlimitationsofthedesign.
2.1Participants
The results presented in this report are based on semi-structured interviews with 14WorldSkills
competitors and 19 of their associates. The associates included 8 employers and 11 family
members/friends.Of the familymembers/friends interviewed, themajoritywereWScompetitors'
parents,andtwowerecompetitors'friends.Twocompanionstudiesinvestigatedthebenefitsofthe
WorldSkillscompetitionforFEcolleges(Allen,James,&Mayhew,2015)andfortrainingmanagers
(Wilde,James,&Mayhew,2015).
To recruit study participants, we contacted all 31 competitors who represented the UK at the
WorldSkillscompetitioninLeipzig2013.Fourteenoutof31competitorsagreedtoparticipateinthe
study.We recruited familymembers/friendsandemployers through the interviewed competitors.
TheinterviewstookplacebetweenApril2014andJune2015.
Amongtheparticipants,onewasagoldmedallist,oneasilvermedallist,andninewereawardeda
Medallion of Excellence. Four out of fourteen competitorswere female. Nine had apprenticeship
experience.
Separatesemi-structuredscheduleswerepreparedwithslightlydifferentfociforcompetitors,their
employers, and family members/friends. We conducted the interview with the competitor first.
Duringtheinterviewsweaskedcompetitorstonominateafamilymemberorfriendandtogiveus
thedetailsoftheiremployer.Appendix1providestheinterviewscheduleusedforthecompetitors.
Onaverage, face-to-face interviewswith competitors lasted foranhourand telephone interviews
with their associates lasted for approximately 45 minutes. Interviews with competitors were
precededbyatelephoneconversationoranemailcommunicationtointroducetheresearchstudy.
Allinterviewswererecordedandfullytranscribed.
Thestudyparticipantsdifferedintheiremploymentstatus.Threewereself-employed,eightworked
withthesameemployerfromtheirtimeoftheWorldSkillsCompetition.Oneworkedforadifferent
employer.Theintervieweesrepresentedthefollowingskillscategoriesandcurrentoccupations:
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Skillscategory CurrentOccupation
Architecturalstonemasonry Bankermason
Beautytherapy Beautytherapist
Cabinetmaking Cabinetmaker
Carpentry Carpenter
Cooking Juniorsouschef
Floristry Florist
Hairdressing SeniorStylist
Landscapegardening Landscapegardener
Manufacturingteamchallenge Designengineer
Manufacturingteamchallenge Electricalengineer
Manufacturingteamchallenge Fieldserviceengineer
Refrigerationandairconditioning Headengineer
Sheetmetaltechnology Pressbreakoperator
Wallandfloortiling Tiler
Weobtainedinformedconsentfromeachparticipantpriortoaudio-recordinghisorherinterviews.
Following conditions of confidentiality, none of the participants are named in the report andwe
havemadethenecessaryprecautionstoavoididentificationofindividualsbyinference.
2.2Analysis
The transcribed interview data were analysed in several stages. Using NVivo software, narratives
weredividedintothethreemainbenefitcategories:benefitsforcompetitors,benefitsforemployers
andwiderbenefitsforsociety.Thenwesystematicallycategorisedtheinterviewtextsinrelationto
eachmain thematic category,establishedsub-categories,and summarised findingsby interviewee
andtheme.
2.3Limitations
Therearetwoimportantstudylimitations.First,thestudyreliesonself-reporteddata.Second,the
study gathers data from a small number of competitors and their associates. The findings cannot
necessarily be generalised to the population of WorldSkills UK 2013 competitors or to WSC
competitorsingeneral.
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3Whatdoweknowaboutthebenefitsofskillscompetitions?
While WSI has a long history of promoting and staging competitions and European Commission
policyencouragesskillscompetitionsasawaytoenhancethe imageofvocationaleducation (see,
for example, Bruges Communique, 2010), there has been little research on the benefits of skills
competitions.FourstudiesfromtheDuVEsuiteofresearchprojects(Allenetal.,2015;Chankseliani,
James,&Mayhew,2015;Mayhewetal.,2013;Wildeetal.,2015)haveaddressedthistopic.
Thisstudyfollowsonfromaninitialinvestigationonthebenefitsofskillscompetitions(Mayhewet
al., 2013) which indicated that the main beneficiaries of WorldSkills Competitions are the
competitors themselves.Benefits includedaccess to trainingthat resulted ingreater technical skill
development; enhanced development of communication skills and timemanagement capabilities;
and development of self-reflection skills and confidence. Career development and progression
opportunities,particularlyself-employmentandthepossibilitytopassontheirknowledgeandskills,
werealsoidentifiedasimportantbenefitsofparticipatinginWSC.Benefitsforemployersandtheir
sector included publicity and enhanced prestige; improved performance by the employee
(competitor);employersatisfactionfrombeingcommittedtoskillsdevelopment;teamwork-related
benefits;theintroductionofnewtechniques/products;moreclients;improvedrecruitment;abetter
industryprofile;andimprovedindustrystandards.
Beyondindividualgroupsofstakeholders,theevidencepointedtofouroverarchingbenefitsofskills
competitionsforthevocationaleducationandtrainingsystem:
• Presentedanopportunityforyoungpeopletolearnaboutavarietyofvocations;
• Helped to create an understanding that acquiring vocational skills can lead to promising
careers;
• Provided an opportunity for young people to see the level of excellence and success that
couldbeachievedinvocationaloccupationsandtheconfidencethataccompaniesthis;
• HelpedimprovetheprofileofselectedindustriesandFEcolleges,andpotentiallyattracted
moretalenttovocationaleducationandapprenticeships(Mayhewetal.,2013).
AseparatestudyonFEcollegeparticipationinskillscompetitions(Allenetal.,2015)confirmedsome
of the findings ofMayhew et al. (2013) regarding the benefits of FE college participation. These
were:continuingprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforteachingstaff;enhancingthequalityof
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teachingand learning;contributingtopositivepublicityandreputation;accessingnewequipment;
anddevelopingrelationshipswithemployers.
Afurtherstudyonthebenefitsfrom,andbarriersto,WorldSkillsparticipationfortrainingmanagers
(Wilde et al., 2015) also confirmed some of the findings of Mayhew et al. (2013) regarding the
benefitsofbeinginvolvedinskillscompetitions.AnumberofbenefitsofparticipationforTMswere
identified and included: enhancing and maintaining cutting edge skills and knowledge through
participationinWorldSkills;andnetworkingwithotherprofessionalsintheirownandotherfields.
Thepresentstudycontributestotheearlierworkbyaddinginformationfromthe2013competitors
andtheirassociatesaboutbenefitsofcompetitions.Thenextsectionprovidesthefindingsfromour
interviews.
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4Beneficiariesofbenefitsofskillscompetitions
Interviewees acknowledged that the central beneficiaries of the WSC were the competitors
themselves.However,colleges,employersand industrieswerealsoconsideredtobebeneficiaries.
Inaddition,someintervieweesrecognisedthebenefitsoftheWSCforwidersocietyandarguedthat
skills competitions couldbeused to raiseattractivenessofVET. This chapter isorganised in three
subsectionsexaminingbenefitsforcompetitors,theiremployersandindustry,andthewidersociety.
4.1Benefitsforcompetitors
Study participants talked about the influence of the WS experience on advancing competitors'
technicalandsocialskills,aswellastheircareeropportunities.Moreoversomeoftheparticipants
heldtheviewthatWSChadabroader,holisticimpactontheircharacterdevelopment.
4.1.1Technicalskillsdevelopment
The interviews with the Team UK 2013 and their associates confirmed the previous findings
(Mayhewetal.,2013)thatthedevelopmentoftechnicalskillsisamajorbenefitstemmingfromthe
WorldSkillsCompetition.
PriortotheWorldSkillstraining,mostofthecompetitorsweinterviewedhadreceivedon-andoff-
the-jobtrainingthatallowedthemtomeettheirprofessionalorindustrystandards.Thatwasagood
foundationforadvancingtheirskillsinone-to-one'specialisedtrainingwithexpertsfromalloverthe
country.' ThroughWorldSkills training 'your technical training goes up, and your technical ability
goesupmassively,'notedacompetitor.
When asked what differentiated WorldSkills training from their apprenticeship training, some
mentionedafocusontheattentiontodetail,whichwas 'a lotmore in-depthknowledgeyouhave
compared to your apprenticeship.' Others referred to the fault finding aspect of technical skills
development: 'therewasalotoffocusonfindingfaultswhichcanonlyhelpmeinthefuture.'The
development of attention to detail and fault finding techniques were facilitated by one-to-one
training thatWorldSkills offered. Yet others talked about the creative side ofWorldSkills training
thatallowedthecompetitors todevelopexpertise inunusual techniquesthatcouldbe introduced
intotheireverydaypractice:'trainingisverybasicincollege,[..]whereas[WorldSkillsis]veryavant-
garde and very creative. So, those different techniques you learn to create these weird and
wonderfulstyles,youcanadapttoeveryday[industryname].'
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Learning new techniques, which helped raise work standards, was one of the main benefits of
trainingforWorldSkillsforanumberofcompetitors.Thestandardswerealsoimprovedthroughthe
refinementofexisting techniquesand thedrive toachieveoutstanding results.Many competitors
notedthattheybecameperfectionistsstrivingforahigherstandard:
Themain thing is the competitionmakes youaperfectionist, [..] thatbar raises toahigherstandard. Iwouldn’thave thatwithout the competition. The competition is so specific andthere’ssomuchtrainingtobethebest.
Some competitors benefited from being exposed to different international practices in their skill
category.Asonecompetitornoted: 'thebiggestbenefit inthecompetition Iwastoldwasthatmy
workdidn’tlookEnglish.[...]swappingandchanging,allthedifferentculturesIpickedupon,from
allthesedifferentpeopleIspoketoandlearntfrom.'
Inmost of the cases, the technical skills improvementwas recognised and highly appreciated by
employers. Although employers noted that time-away for training caused some inconvenience at
the workplace, they all recognised that it was worthwhile in terms of developing competitors'
technical skills.WhenaskedhowWS trainingdiffered from theworkplace learning theyprovided,
one of the employers explained that the competitor received training in different aspects of his
trade from themost qualified people in the field. The employer referred to him as 'a jack of all
tradeswhereheknewalittlebitabouteverything.'
Manycompetitorswerepromotedbecauseoftheimprovementoftheirskills. 'Allthetrainingthat
you getwithWorldSkills is one of the reasons I have been promoted because you do everything
fromobviouslyyourtechnicalskills,'explainedacompetitor.However,therewerealsoexceptions:'I
think I definitely producework faster and to a better standardwhich is great formyself but not
reallyappreciatedbymyemployers.'
4.1.2.Trainingandcompetitionprovidedopportunitiestodevelopnon-technicalskills
Other,non-technical,skillsarealso important inthe labourmarket.Confirmingourearlierfindings
(Mayhewetal.,2013),thisstudyshowedthattheWSCtraininghadpositivebenefitsindeveloping
someimportantskills:communication,confidenceandtimemanagement.
4.1.2.1Communicationskillsimproved
Theskillof'justbeingabletotalktopeople'seemedtobeveryimportantforthecompetitorsand
mosttalkedabouttheroleofWorldSkillsindevelopingthatskill.Thetrainingprocessinvolvedalot
of communication with a variety of stakeholders, including training managers, FE college tutors,
employers,representativesoforganisationsthatcompetitorsvisitedforspecialisedtraining, fellow
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teammembers,WorldSkillsalumni,media,governmentofficials,variousdignitaries,andthewider
public.
Competitorswhoworkedatbig companies found itparticularlyuseful to improve communication
with their superiors: 'I’mon speaking termswith the generalmanagerwhereas before I probably
neverspoketohim.Itmakesyoubroadenyourhorizonswithpeopleatwork.'Anothercompetitor
noted:
We [had] to talk to managers and present what we’d been doing through theWorldSkillsjourney.Thatwasagoodyearandahalfofconstantinteractionwiththemanagersaboveus.Thatsettheballrollingandyou’vejustgottogainfromit.
Othersmentionedthebenefitsofimprovedcommunicationwiththeirclients.Beingabletoinitiate
small talkseemedtohave influencedbusinessconsiderably.FollowinghisWorldSkillsexperiences,
onecompetitor reportedbecomingmuchmoreconfidentandcommunicatingwithall clientswith
great ease: 'having that confidence [...] goes a long way with customers because if they see
somebodyisnotveryconfident,theywillbealittlebitwaryofthemdoingthejob.'
Quiteafewemployersandfamilymembersnotedthatcompetitorsgainedalotofconfidenceand
improvedtheirpresentationskillsthroughWorldSkillstraining:
Shecanholdaconversationwithanytypeofpeerorprofessional,orwhatever;aprofessional;whetheritbeaclient,ayoungstudent,thePrimeMinister.She'shadtodealwithpeoplelikethat;PrincessBeatriceandEugenie,filmstars;shereally,reallyhasbecome;it'smadehertheladythatsheis(Familymember).
Advancementofcommunicationskillswenthandinhandwiththedevelopmentofconfidence.
4.1.2.2WSChelpedtodevelopconfidence
Mostoftheintervieweesfelttheygaineda lot intermsofconfidencebuildingthroughWorldSkills
training:
Confidence grows fromevery situation you’re in, even outside theWorldSkills inwork. I’vehad a girlfriend for five years and the difference from when we first met, she’s seen methrough all theWorldSkills process and beyond and she says the confidence and change inyourpersonality ismassive,youcan’tdescribe it. Coming froma shy littleboy to someonewho’sdonequitealotfora22yearold.
IammoreconfidentinmyabilityandIknowIcandoit.IfIcanstanduponaworldstageIcandoanything.
Even those competitors who felt they were quite confident prior to their involvement with
WorldSkills,recognizedconfidence-buildinginothers:
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'Alotofpeoplewereveryshy,didn’treallyinteractwithothers.BytheendoftheWorldSkillstheywerecompletelydifferentpeople,moreconfident,couldgetupinfrontofagroupandtalktopeople,believedinthemselvesmore.'
Confidencehelpedcompetitorsattheirworkplacewhentheyhadtodealwithcustomers:
Ipersonallyfindwhenyou’reworkingforacustomer,theylookatyouandifthere’saslightnervousnessinyourvoice,theyfeelworried.Soyou’vegottofillthemwithconfidenceallthetimeandmakesurewhatyou’redoingiscorrectandyouaregoingtodoittoasuccessrate.
Anotherbenefit for theworkplace related to theconfidence towork independently.Acompetitor
explained:
I’ddoajobandthenIwouldbeunsureand[...]Iwouldgoandasksomebodytogivemeabitoffeedback.NowI,kindof,lookatitandthinkifitisright,I’llgowithit,andifit’snot,I’llfixitandthengowithit,soyes,it’sjusttheconfidencetoworkindependently.
Employers and family members also recognised growing confidence in competitors. One family
memberstated:
She would not hesitate now to go and stand up in front of somebody, or in front of anaudienceanddoaspeech,orwalkintoaroom,whichshemaywellhavebeenquiteinsecureabout,whenshestartedallofthis.
4.1.2.3Timemanagementskillsareacquired
A few competitorsmentioned thatWorldSkills improved their timemanagement. They said they
used tohavedifficulties inbreakingdownbig tasks into smaller tasksandconcentratingon those
onebyone.Encouragedbytrainingmanagers,somecompetitorsrealisedthattimemanagementis
askillthatcanbedevelopedwithpractice:
Mytrainingmanagersaidtomeyouneedtoconcentrate.And,it’ssomethingyoucan’tteach,youhavetoteachyourself,anditwasonlythroughpractice,timetasks,beingquitesternonmyselfthatIlearntit,anditwasonlythroughrepetitionandexperience.
ImprovedskillsoftimemanagementhelpedtoincreaseefficiencyofperformanceattheWSCaswell
attheworkplace:
I’vecutdownalotonmytiming,soIcandoalotmoreclients.[...]incompetitionyoudoitsooftentotrain,sonowgoingbackintothe[workplace],eventhougheverythingistothathighstandard,Icandoita lot, lotquicker,soIprobablydoalotmoreclientsinthesameclientsthatIwasworking.
Competitorssaidtheyworkedfastertoproduceoutputoftherequiredquality.Efficiency,asoneof
theentrepreneurialcompetitorsexplained,meantnotwastingtimeandmaterials:
Making sure that the quality matters where it needs to matter, and where it’s not seen,doesn’tmatter,whereyoucancutcorners, ifthatmakessense.[...]Youdon’thavetomake
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everythingperfectly. I knowthis table isn’tmadeperfectly,butyounever see [thatpartof]thetable.That’swhereyoumakethemoney.
The competition marking scheme also taught competitors to allocate specific time periods to
differenttasks:
Igetsixmarks for thatand Iget twomarks for that. I’vegothalfanhour left; I’lldothesixmarksonefirst,andI’lldothat[onemarkat]theveryend,ifI’moutoftime,itdoesn’tmatter.Workinglikethat[...]teachesyoualot.
Many employers also indicated that throughout the process of training they noticed how
competitorsimprovedtheirtimemanagementskills:
Whenshewasfirststartingoutdoing[...]perfectlyitdidtakeabitmoretime,themoreshelearntitattheWorldSkillsandperfectedherskillstherethenhertiminggotalotbetter.
4.1.3ParticipationintheWSCbenefitedcareerdevelopment
Competitorsenjoyedsignificantcareerbenefitsthatwerelinkedtotheirexperiencesofparticipating
intheWSC.Fourmainareaswere identified:networking,careerprogression, reputation,andself-
employment.
4.1.3.1Moreextensivenetworkingopportunitiesemerged
All interviewees talked with great passion about the excitement of meeting new people, and
buildingandretainingrelationshipsthroughtheWorldSkillsexperience.Theyalsotalkedaboutthe
comfortofsharingthecompetitionexperiencewithothersandreferredtoWorldSkillsnetworksas
'alittlefamily.'
Competitors identified five networks as the most important: professional networks, customer
networks, WorldSkills community networks, family networks, and friendship networks (which
sometimesoverlappedwithWorldSkillscommunitynetworks).4WorldSkillscompetitorsrecognised
professional networks as the most important for their professional success, followed by family
networks.ThosewhohavebenefittedfromWSnetworkstalkedaboutdifferentopportunitiesthat
stemmed from the contacts theymade duringWorldSkills. For example, interviewees referred to
their links with fellow competitors that would allow them to deliver specific business services in
4 Family networks included competitors' immediate and extended family members. Professional networks includedcolleagues from current and past workplace(s), managers and leaders in the industry, contacts acquired throughprofessionalassociationmembershipandstudents/apprenticeswithwhomWorldSkillscompetitorsworked.Friendswerecompetitors' close associates who did not practise the same profession and were not family members. Customernetworksincludedtheclientswithwhomtherespondenthadworked.WorldSkillscommunitynetworksincludedtrainingmanagers,othercompetitors,andprofessionalsthattherespondentsmetthroughWorldSkills.
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partnership and even start new ventures together. Yet others used WorldSkills networks to get
involvedininternationalconsultancyprojectspromotingskillstrainingindifferentcountries.
TMsseemedtobeaparticularlyusefulsourceofadviceforafewcompetitorswhocalledthemonce
inawhiletosharetheircareerupdatesandaskfortheiropiniononavarietyofjob-relatedissues:
Istillkeepincontactwithhimandtalktohimquitealot.Forexample,organisingthistrainingthing,he’sattheendofthephone,andluckilyhe’sretirednowsoIcangethimquiteeasily.So,he’sbeenthereformealotthroughoutthewholejourneyreally,andheknowsmewellenoughnowthatIcanaskhimanything.
4.1.3.2Competitors'careerprogressionbenefitedfromWSC
WorldSkills experience accelerated career progression for the majority of the interviewed
competitors:
'WithoutthetrainingIwouldn'tbeinthepositionIamnow.I'muptheladderquitequicklybecauseI'mstillonly22andoneoftheyoungestmembersoftheteamandholdsuchahighrolealready.'
All employers interviewed confirmed the importance of WS experience for competitors' careers.
'TheyhavegotthatontheirCVfortherestoftheirlifethattheyparticipatedinthis.Ithinkitisa
fantastic competition,'explainedanemployer.AnotheremployerwhosupportedanumberofWS
competitors indicatedthattheynowheld 'biggerandbetterroles intheorganisation,which[was]
fantastictosee.'
Accelerated career progression involved expansion of work duties and responsibilities and often
doingmoremanagerialwork.Itmadethem'alothigher'attheirworkplace:
All the training that you get withWorldSkills is one of the reasons I have been promotedbecauseyoudoeverythingfromobviouslyyourtechnicalskillsbutthenobviouslyyoudoalotof teamworkandsupportandmentoringaswellamongstWorldSkills. So it'sallcomepartandparcelwithmegettingthispromotionwhichisthebiggestchangeforme.
Suchchangesweresometimesaccompaniedbypayrises.Oneofthecompetitorshadreceivedtwo
increasestoherpaysinceherparticipationintheWSC:
[The employer was] very proud of everything I’d achieved, it was great. My wage wasmatched with the other two [employees], and since they’ve left, because I’ve got moreresponsibility,I’vebeengivenanotherpayrise.
Others talked about progressing from the shop floor to high-skilled technical work during their
apprenticeship: 'there’s a lotmorequalificationneeded tobe in theofficeandwith the training I
received,it’sliftedmylevelofknowledgeandskillsupsotheofficestaffthoughttheycouldutilise
theseskillsthatI’dgained.'
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However, someof the competitorsdidnot seem tobenefit career-wise asmuchasothers. There
were generally fewer opportunities for progressionwithin small companies run by their founders
andthusofferednomanagerialpositions.
4.1.3.3Competitors'professionalreputationimproved
Participation in WSC acts as a positive signal for the competitors’ reputation. According to one
competitor’sassociate: ‘WorldSkillscreatesanameforsomebody.People thereforeseethem ina
differentmanner,sotheyaremorequalifiedthansomebodyelse.'
WorldSkills was perceived as 'something that most people can never put on their CV' (Family
member).Thisledtoeitherimprovedcareeropportunitiesand/orimprovedclientbaseforthefirms
wherethecompetitorsworked.
Afewcompetitorswhoreceivedapromotionatwork indicatedthattheircareerprogresspossibly
wouldhavetakenlongerwithoutWorldSkills. TheWSCexperience 'setthemapartfromeveryone
else'andmadetheemployersrealisethat'theselads[were]quitespecial.'Thesignallingbenefitsfor
careerprogressionandnewemploymentopportunitiesmaydifferbysectorhowever.Forexample,
inhairdressing,itwasargued,fewpeopleknowaboutWorldSkills,andthereforethesignallingmight
notbethateffective.Incarpainting,itismorelikelythatWorldSkillsparticipationimprovescareer
opportunities as employers 'send people there to spot people.' The same benefit was noted for
cooking:'youcangoandworkinatoprestaurantifyou’vedoneWorldSkills.'
WorldSkillscansignalexcellencetoclients:'we’vegotalotofclientsthatareactuallytravellingtous
through,kindof,knowing,obviously,I’vebeenaWorldSkillscompetitor,soit’sdefinitelyraisedthe
[firm]aswell.'
4.2Benefitsforemployersandindustry
Competitors and employers interviewed for this study noted a number of benefits from their
support of competitors: competitors exposed their employers to new techniques or products;
companies reaped teamwork-related benefits; employers observed enhanced employee
performance; employers enjoyed good publicity and higher prestige; some companies attracted
morebusinessclients;andsomefirmsreportedonorhopedforimprovementsinrecruitment.
4.2.1Competitorsexposedtheiremployerstonewtechniquesorproducts
Employers and competitors provided a number of examples that demonstrate WS competitors'
contributions to successful performance of the companieswhere theywere employed, including:
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changing suppliers, trying new raw materials, offering new products to customers, working to
changetheattitudeofcustomerstoexistingornewproducts,tryingnewtechniques,experimenting
with different ways of packaging products, attracting more corporate/bigger clients, initiating
participation in industry-specific shows and fairs, designing and building newmachines thatwere
cheaper, quicker or lighter than the existing ones. Such activities helped small as well as large
businesses,serviceandcreativeindustriesaswellasrelativelytraditionalskillareas.
Competitors sometimes learned about new products and services during their WS training trips
abroadandsharedthatinformationwiththeiremployers:
I’mmorelikelytoapproachmyemployerandsay,I’veheardaboutthisproduct,isthereanywaywecantryit,getsometrainingonit,andgofromthere.Forexample,we’vegotonenextweek,we’vegotthisnewproductcomingout,soIlookedintohowwecangetit,whatwecando,howitwillbenefitthe[company],andwe’vegotsometrainingonitnextTuesday,sothatwillbegood.So,I’mdefinitelymoreconfidentlookingintodifferentthings.
Exposure to the new techniques that competitors acquired via WS training incentivised some
employers(small-firmowners)totakeupmoretraining. 'WhenIfinishedtheWorldSkillsmyboss
actuallyenrolledherselfonalevelfourcourse,becauseshewantedtostartlearningagain.'
4.2.2Companiesreapedteamwork-relatedbenefits
For the most part, working in a team with a WS competitor had a positive influence on work
colleagues. The presence of aWS competitor had some spill-over effects on other employees in
termsofsharingtechnicalskillsandknowledgeandadvancingtheskillsofothers, improvingteam
workethic,andprofessionallyinspiringcolleagues.
Quiteafewcompetitorsparticipatedintrainingotherstaffmembers.Suchanopportunityallowed
competitors 'tobecomemuchmore importantwithin theworkshop,because [they]couldnurture
theotheryoungguyscomingthroughtheworkshop'(Employer).Atanotherworkplacetheemployer
did all the basic training with new employees and then asked the WS competitor to do some
advancedtrainingwithyoungermembersofstaff.
SomeemployersobservedthatthepresenceofaWScompetitor improvedtheorganisationofthe
workplace and work ethic in their firm: 'all of my guys now have copied the way they [WS
competitors] do things, they clear up after themselves, so, yes, it’s absolutely imperative that
[others] have taken on board the efficiency that the WorldSkills has brought with these guys'
(Employer). However, not all teams were positive about learning from WS competitors. One
employerwho arranged a few company-wide events to recognise the success ofWS competitors
employedatthecompanyhadreceivedthefeedbackfromotheremployeesthroughasurveythat
21
'otheremployeesouttherefeltthattheywereabitintheshade.'
WScompetitorswereseenasinspirationaltootherteammembers:'inspiringpeopletodothesame
and follow the same process, it could give other people a bitmore of a drive to dowell aswell'
(Competitor). In addition, the opportunity to work with a WS competitor incentivised others to
performbetterandbemoreambitious:
Seeing[WScompetitors]moveupinfluencestheotherapprenticestothinkwhenIgettothatstage, Iwanttodothat, IwanttobepartoftheWorldSkillsandmove intoa jobrolethat’shigherthantheshopfloororwhateverambitionsthey’vegot.Iknowit’dmakeiteasiertodothatinthefutureiftheydidattendtheWorldSkills.(Competitor)
4.2.3Employersobservedenhancedemployeeperformance
Both competitors and employers recognised that the WS experience considerably enhanced
employeeperformanceatworkplace:
Theyappreciate thatwe’reanasset to thecompany in thesense thatwecanachievegreatresultswhereverwegoandtheyobviouslythinkwe’reanassetinthesensethattheycanrelyorgiveussomeresponsibilityandwe’llbeallrightwiththat.(Competitor).
AnemployerinConstructionandBuildingTechnologywhosupportedtwoWScompetitorsexplained
howhefelttheydifferedfromotheremployees:
Some guys are stuck in their ways and that’s the only way it’ll work, but those two guysbecause of their experience and of working under time pressures could think laterally andcomeupwithnew ideasofdoing things thatwerequicker,moreefficient, and I think that,again, isoneofthosebenefitsoftheWorldSkills, it isworkingoutsidetheboxwhenyou’reunderpressure.Ifsomethinggoeswrongyoucan’t letyourheadgodownyou’vejustgottograpplewithit,dealwithitandgetonwithitandputitright,andthat’saveryimportantpartofwhatwedo,andthosetwohaditinbucketloads.(Employer).
Independentworkethicwasoneaspectofenhancedproductivitythatafewemployersmentioned:
Icouldlethimgotoajob[entirelyonhisown]andbeconfidentenoughtodothat,whereasbeforehandheprobablywouldn’thavedonewithoutmeoverlookingeverystep(Employer).
4.2.4Employersenjoyedgoodpublicityandhigherprestige
Almost all competitors and some employers indicated that their participation in WS definitely
benefited firms by increasing the visibility of their business. 'We've won the Queen's Award and
we'vegotguysgoingtotheWorldSkills,youknow.We'reacrediblecompanythathasalottooffer.'
Competitorsnotedhowpublicitybenefittedthebusiness:
It’s the publicity mainly, I mean, we’re very well known for our competitions, and beinginvolvedwithWorldSkills.Forexample,thegoldmedalsthatareonthewallinthereception.
22
Obviously people know how much training we have to do to get there. So, you can seecustomerssortof,wow,medalseverywhere, itgivesthebusiness,publicisesthebusinessaswell as you personally. Because, I think wherever I won [themedal] it was [the companyname], and people go, where’s that, and you tend to quite a lot of publicity really(Competitor).
Afewemployersusedsocialmediatopromotethecompetitorstheysupported:
A lot of our businesswedo through Facebook and Twitter. [The employer]was using thesocialmedia topromote [me], saying [thecompetitor] isoffhereanddoing this today,andkeepalltheclientsuptodate(Competitor).
Finally, someparticipants linkedbetterpublicitywith improvingacompany’s financial standing: 'It
wasgreatpublicityforthecompanysoitwasacommercialgainforthisplaceaswell'(Competitor).
4.2.5Somecompaniesattractedmorebusinessclients
Athirdof theemployers/competitors interviewed talkedaboutWScompetitors’ role in increasing
thenumberofclientsandthuscontributingtoincreasingtheprofitmarginattheircompanies:
[Myemployer]noticedabigeffect in the [firm]. We’vegota lotofclients thatareactuallytravellingtousthrough,kindof,knowing,obviously,I’vebeenaWorldSkillscompetitor,soit’sdefinitelyraisedthesalonaswell.(Competitor).
Becauseoftheskillsthat[competitor]learnt,everythingisdonetoperfectionandaveryhighstandard, so she has a very big client base; [competitor] is fully booked every single daybecausesheissogood.Herskillsareperfectedandthenobviouslythemediacoverageaswellandwhatwecouldthenpromoteherasthewinneroftheworldskills,soitbroughtclientstous(Employer).
Yet another competitormentioned that the number of clients increased so dramatically that the
companywasnotabletoaccommodatethedemand:
We'vegotmoreclientscomingin,andnowthere’snotenoughstafftoaccommodate.We’realwaysfullybookedamonth inadvance,soweneedthatextrapremisestothenbeabletogetmorestaff(Competitor).
Morethanhalfoftheemployersintervieweddidnotnoticeachangeincustomersbutsaidthatthe
presenceofWScompetitorshelpedthemmaintainthatclientbase,especiallyintimesofeconomic
unease.
4.2.6Somefirmsreportedon,orhopedfor,improvementsinrecruitment
SupportingWScompetitorsmightimpactsomecompanies'chancesofbecomingmoreattractiveto
youngpeople:
Theycanattractnewemployees.Speakingformyfriends,I’vegotfriendswhoseriouslywanttogetinto[thiscompany],seeingwhattheydoforus,theamountofmoneythey’veputinto
23
theWorldSkills isquite something. It’s likea short-term loan, the companywill see it backwithinthenextsomanyyears.(Competitor)
Intheengineeringsector,wheretheintervieweesbelievedtherewasalargeshortfallinthesupply
of engineers between 26 and 44 year-old, the competitors and employees claimed that skills
competitions could carry some benefits in terms of improving recruitment. Furthermore, it was
through showing the commitment to skills development that some employers hoped to improve
theirrecruitmentandattractmoretalentedyoungpeople:
I always think of recruitment as a two-way process and obviously you're assessing thosecomingin.Butthey'realsoassessingyouandifyou'reanapprenticehow[youare]goingtogetdeveloped,what'sthecommitmentto[your]traininggoingtobe.(Employer).
However, not all employers sawa clear link between supportingWSand seeing improvements in
recruitment.Oneofthemexplainedthattheywerealwayslookingfornewtalentbuttheyhadnot
witnessedadramaticincreaseinthenumberofyoungpeoplewhoapproachedthem:'whichisquite
weird,youwouldhavethoughtwiththereputationwehavewithintheindustry,thattherewouldbe
morepeoplewantingtocomeandworkforus'(Employer).Thiscouldbelinkedtopoorpublicityof
WorldSkillsthatwasmentionedbymanyintervieweesinbothphasesoftheresearchproject.
4.2.7WSCbenefitssectors
Skills competitions may contribute to raising sector profiles by showcasing what each sector is
about:
'Thinkgettingitoutthereonthebiggercircuitmostdefinitelyhelpstheindustry'(Employer).
They go out into the wider world and tell people about our industry and that’s very, veryimportantbecauseweneedasmuchpublicityaswecanget, and forpeople tounderstandwhatwedotoallowustoactuallyrunsuccessfulbusinesses.'(Employer).
WStrainingwasviewedasinvestmentinpeoplewhichcouldonlybepositive:'Ifwe'regoingtobeat
our competition andwe're going to stayhere andbeas strongaswewant tobe for thenext 50
years,thenit'sallinourpeople.Andthat'llkeeptheChineseawayandeverybodyelse'(Employer).
Some interviewees argued that considering the benefits for individuals and industries, the
expenditureonWSwas justified: 'There’sanawful lotof[government]moneyspenton[WSC]. In
myopinion,it’smoneywellspentanditdoessomuchespeciallyforthebuildingtrades',saidoneof
the competitors. A number of competitors, collectively, would raise industry standards, some
participantsargued:
Thetrainingsideofthingsgetseverybodytoahigherstandardandthen,whentheytakethatstandardbacktotheworkplaceandthenhelpotherpeopletoraisetheirgameaswell,Ithinkitjustbenefitsindividualcompanies.Collectivelythen,itwillbenefittheindustryasawhole
24
anyway, soyes, I think it’s littlegainsandthen itkindofgrows intosomethingabitbigger.(Competitor).
However,notallrespondentsagreedthatthebenefitsforcompaniestranslatedintothebenefitsfor
thesectorconcerned;acompetitortalkedaboutthecompetitorsofthebusinesswhereheworked
andindicatedthat 'thecompanieswantthebest,that’sonething. Forthewider industry, I’mnot
sure.'Acompetitorexplainshowtheimpactmayoccur:
It’scertainlygoingtoinfluencetheindustry,notonamassivescalebecauseit’sonlysomanycompetitors that get the chance to compete but the skills they take from the competition,you’vegottorehearsethemandhaveitdowntoafineart,theygointotheindustryandtheindustry sees the benefit of their skills, it’s definitely going to raise the industry standards.(Competitor)
Employers and competitors also noted that WS needed a higher marketing profile in order to
translate the success of individuals intowider industry-level benefits: 'They are flying the flag for
themselves,it’sabigthing[but]asfarastheindustryitselfgoes,WorldSkillisnotabenefitbecause
basicallynobodyknowsaboutit'(Employer).
4.3Widerpotentialbenefitofskillscompetitions:makingVETmoreattractivefor
youngpeople
Skills competitions could potentially contribute to improving the attractiveness of VET by raising
awarenessaboutvocationaloccupationsandhelpingyoungpeopleunderstandthatthevocational
routecanleadtoarewardingcareer.Theintervieweeswereaskedtocommentontheseissuesand
thissectioncapturestheirviews.
4.3.1Skillscompetitionscanraiseawarenessaboutvocationaloccupations
Making career choice is not easy. Almost all interviewees agreed that events like the WSC that
showcasedifferentoccupationsandyoungpeoplewhoexcelinthoseoccupationscanbebeneficial:
'I'msure[WS]doesinspirethem.Youngpeoplefindithardtoknowwhattodo,whentheygettothatage.Whentheyseetheonesthathavedonewell,theyareboundtothink,"MaybeIcoulddothat"'(Parent).
'Youcan’timagineuntilyougotothosecompetitionsandseetheskillthatisinvolvedinthem.Youthinka joiner is justa joiner,butwhenyougothere,theskill theyhaveandseethat inaction,it’samazing'(Parent).
Ifyouareincollegeortryingtochooseonacareer,beingabletoseethebestofwhatisthereentails you to want to do it more. For example, people watch football, they see the bestfootballers in theworld, theywant tobea footballer. If youarewatching tellyandyouarewatching the best chefs compete then you want to be a chef and someonemaking someincrediblefoodandpeopleareimpressedbyit.Itmakespeoplewanttodoit.(Friend)
25
There were quite a few examples of WS competitors' experiences influencing their friends,
colleagues, employers and family members in terms of professional choices and professional
development. For example, a competitor's siblingwhowasdyslexic anddidnotdowell at school
wasinspiredbywitnessingtheWSCanddecidedtostartskillstraining.Somefriendsofcompetitors
sawanalternative,vocationalroutehavingwitnessedthetrainingoftheWScompetitor:'OriginallyI
wasgoingtogotoUniversity,butIdecidedthatIwouldprefertogetatradethangotoUniversity
andnotgetajobattheendofit'(Friend).Thepersonwasconfidenthemadetherightdecision.
TherewasacasewhenapersonworkingwithaWScompetitorwasmotivatedtodevelophisskills
furtherandforthispurposehestartedanapprenticeshipandplannedtotrainforandparticipatein
WS. The young person learned about the competitor and his experiences through family
connections.Anothercompetitorsharedthestoryofacolleaguewhowasverymuchinspiredbythe
trainingthecompetitorwasundertaking.Althoughthecolleaguewasbeyondtheagelimittoenter
theWSC,shedidentertheUKheatandwonamedal:'Sheneverknewanythingaboutcompetitions
beforecominghere,andobviouslyshewasn’temployedortrainedbyus,sothatwasquitenicefor
her'(Competitor).
Aparentofacompetitorexplainedhowherdaughter'sexperiencehelpedherchangeotherpeople's
opinionsaboutvocationaleducationandtraining.Raisingawareness,itwasargued,hadtobedone
atagrassroots level,byhavingmoreregionalcompetitionsthatwouldallowreachingouttomore
youngpeopleandinvolvingcareeradvisors:
The competitions are a showcase for the skill, but actually it’smuchmore grassroots thanthat. The careers advisors who came and looked at our workshops probably didn’t knowconstructionwasavailableasacareereffectively.Theyseeitassomethingpeoplemightfallintoifthere’snothingelsetodo.There’snoencouragement.(Employer)
4.3.2Skillscompetitionscanhelpyoungpeopleunderstandthatthevocationalroutecan
leadtoarewardingcareer
Some interviewees were of the opinion that vocational education is not always regarded as an
effectivepathwaytowardacareer. Theyfeltthatskillscompetitionsplayedaroleinchangingthis
perception:
Somepeopleoverlook[skillarea].It'slookedatasit'snotagreatcareerpathtotake.Youbealawyer or you be a doctor or do things that are perceived to be much better than othercareers. [Skillarea] issometimes justpushedtotheback. WorldSkillsgets itouttherethatyoucanbesuccessfulatsomethingoutofthenormal(Competitor)
Alotofpeoplenowadaysthinkyouhavetogotouniversityandgoanddoadegree,where,actually, it’s proved that us as competitors have been just as successful, or even more
26
successfulthanwewouldifwe’dgonetouniversity.Soifthatwaspublicisedmorethatthisisanalternativeoption,itmaymakepeoplerealisethatalotofpeoplewhogotouniversity,dotheirdegreebutthenendupgoingbacktocollegebecausetheydidn’tenjoy it,ortheyjustwantedtogotouni,but,actually,thenthey’vehadtotakethatdifferentpathtothenpickupaskilltothengooutintotheindustry.
Furthermore,theexperiencesofWScompetitorsdemonstratedwhatayoungpersoncouldachieve
byinvestingalotoftimeandeffortintraining:
Allmyfriends,itmakesthemrealisewhatyoucanachieve.Anyonecandoitiftheywantto.JustbecauseI’mtheguyfrom[anareaintheUK]who’sthebestintheworld.Youwouldn’tbelievethatIcoulddoit.Ididn’tbelievethatIdidit.Ididn’tbelievethatIcoulddoit.Ijustdidittospreadthemessageof,theycandoitiftheywantto,iftheyworkhardenough.
Oneoftheparentsadmittedsheusedtoassumethatonlytheacademicrouteleadstoarewarding
career:'Iwanted[myson]todoajobusinghisbrain,but[he]wantedtodoajobusinghishands.I
thoughtif[he]didsomethingusinghishands,itwasawasteofhisbrain.'Sheadmittedlaterinthe
conversation that her assumption changed following her son'sWS experience: 'I couldn’t be any
prouderof[him]thanwhatIam,Ireallycouldn’t.Ithinkwhathehasachieved,theselastfewyears,
inhisjob,andhislife,heisbuyinghisfirsthouseandhehasgotacar.Iamsoproudofhim,Iam
brimmingwithpride,Iam.'(Parent).
Finally, despite the fact that the majority of interviewees argued that WS has the potential to
influencethevocational-academicdividebyincentivisingandinspiringyoungpeopletostartorexcel
invocationalskillsintheirownright,theywerestillnotoptimisticthatitwouldeverbeachievedin
thiscountry:
People ought to know more about those skills. I think schools should push college andvocational skillsmore. I know that’s not going to happen, because I work in the educationsystem,butIdothinkthattheyshouldbepushingmoreforstudentstotakeupthesesortsofcourses.(Parent)
4.3.3Lackofpublicity–themainimpedimenttowiderbenefits
Theimportanceofbetterpublicityemergedasathemeineachandeveryinterviewweconducted.
Theabsolutemajorityof the intervieweespointed to the lackofpublicityas themainobstacle to
enhancingthebenefitsoftheWSC.‘WorldSkillsisquiteunder-publicised,itneedstobepubliciseda
lot more,’ said one competitor. ‘WorldSkills is not promoted at all, said another and noted that
withoutsuchpromotiontheimpactofthecompetitiononindustriesorwidersocietywouldremain
negligible:
‘Themorepeoplewhoknowaboutit,thestrongerthecompetitionwillbe’.(Competitor)
27
Better publicity, intervieweesmaintained, needed to involvemore colleges and schools attending
skills competitions. Also, ‘past competitors going out and actually speaking to them about their
experience, and seeing thephotosand imagesofwhat it actually is’wouldhelp inpromoting the
WSC(Competitor).‘Ithinkyoujustneedtoinspirethenextgenerationofstudentsoryoungpeople
bypromotingit,’saidacompetitor.
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5Concludingremarks
MostoftheparticipantsofthestudyagreedthatparticipationinWSdoesbenefitdifferentactors:
individual competitors; their employers; FE colleges; and immediate associates of competitors,
mainlytheircolleaguesatworkplace.ThedataobtainedfromtheLeipzig2013Teamconfirmedthe
main findingsof theearlierphaseof this study that involved thecompetitorsand theirassociates
from the UK teams that competed in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011 (Mayhew et al., 2013). Those
interviewedforPhaseIofthestudyhadbetween1.5to7.5yearsforthebenefitstoaccrue,while
the 2013 team members had approximately seven months to two years. As such a few of the
differencesinthebenefitsbetweenthe2013teammembersandthosewhocompetedintheearlier
years couldbeattributed to thedifference in the intervalbetween theWSCparticipationand the
interview.
TheoverwhelmingmajorityoftheparticipantsinbothphasesofProject3onBenefitsofDeveloping
VocationalExcellence (overall176 interviewees)arguedthatasystematicstrategyofpublicitywas
required in order to promote WorldSkills in the UK. The existing ad-hoc efforts, some of the
employersargued,didnot justify thepublic spendingonskills competitions,anddidnotallow for
WorldSkillsexperiences to translate intowiderbenefits for the society.Oneemployernoted, 'It is
theOxbridgeoftraining,becauseyouhavegotthepinnacle.You’vegotthebestemployerswiththe
bestemployeeswherecraft’sconcerned.Andthenitshouldcomefilteringdownthrougheveryone'
(Employer). Another employer believed that theWSC should be 'the pinnacle of something else
that’s happening’, there needs to be more information available to the potential beneficiaries
becauseatthemoment,hesaid,'nooneknowsthey’rehappening.Wellthat’snotgoingtobenefit
anyone,isit?'
Despitesomescepticismabout theWSpublicitycampaign,competitorsand familymemberswere
extremely excited to share theirWS experiences. Themajority of employers were very proud to
havesupportedcompetitorsthroughtheirjourneysofdevelopingvocationalexcellence:
Todo theWorldSkillseventand tobesuccessfulandwin it,noteverybodycando it, it’saveryspecialistfieldandyouhavetobeexceptional,andthosetwoguyswereexceptionalandareexceptional. Imeanthey’reprobablythebesttwoguysthat I’veeverhadcomethroughtheworkshop.(Employer).
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6Recommendations
ThestudyyieldsseveralissuesforFindaFuturetoconsider:
• Employersgavemanyexamplesofpositiveexperiences.Thesecouldbeusedtoformcasestudies
toshowthebenefitsforothernon-participatingemployers.
• Improving the publicity for not only WorldSkills competitions but national, regional and local
competitions.ThiscouldenhancethebenefitsofWorldSkillsforall.
• FindaFutureisworkinghardtopromotethevisitsofschoolchildrentotheSkillsShowinorder
to raiseawarenessofvocationaloccupations.Encouragingschools tovisit their localFEcollege
when localandregionalcompetitionsareoccurringcouldalsohelptoraiseawarenessnotonly
amongstschoolchildrenbutalsoamongsttheirteachersandparents.
• FindaFuturecouldprovideaplatformforWScompetitorstospeakabouttheirexperiencesto
youngpeople.
30
7.Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the participants in this study for their time in explaining to us their
experienceofbeinginvolvedinWorldSkills.
31
8.References
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Chankseliani,M.,James,S.,&Mayhew,K.(2015).WorldSkillscompetitorsandentrepreneurship.Oxford,UK:UniversityofOxford.Retrievedfromhttp://vocationalexcellence.education.ox.ac.uk/our-research/project-5/
EuropeanCommission.(2010).TheBrugesCommuniquéonenhancedEuropeanCooperationinVocationalEducationandTrainingfortheperiod2011-202.Retrievedfromhttp://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc/vocational/bruges_en.pdf
Mayhew,K.,James,S.,Chankseliani,M.,&Laczik,A.(2013).BenefitsofDevelopingVocationalExcellence.AReporttotheNationalApprenticeshipServiceofProject3oftheDUVEsuiteofprojects.Oxford,UK:UniversityofOxford.Retrievedfromhttp://vocationalexcellence.education.ox.ac.uk/our-research/project-3/
Wilde,S.,James,S.,&Mayhew,K.(2015).TrainingManagers:BenefitsfromandbarrierstoWorldSkillsUKparticipation.Oxford,UK:UniversityofOxford.Retrievedfromhttp://vocationalexcellence.education.ox.ac.uk/our-research/project-6/
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Appendix1.WScompetitorinterviewschedule
Currentemployment
1. Whatdoesyourcurrentjobinvolve?
2. YouremployerisX,whatisthecompany'sbusiness?
3. Doyouenjoyyourjobatthiscompany?Why/whynot?
4. HaveyouchangedyourjoboryouremployersinceyourparticipationatWSC?
5a. Ifwithsameemployer:didyourparticipationresultinanybenefits—forexamplewereyou
givengreater responsibilityordiscretion in your job?Didyougetany special recognition?
DidyoureceiveapayriseasaresultofyourparticipationinWSC?
5b. If changed employer or changed jobwith same employer, or became self-employed ask):
Were these changes at all related to your participation inWSC (e.g. got a job offer after
participation,gotapromotionat sameplaceofemployment; realisedyoucoulddobetter
foryourself).Askforexamples.
6a. If with different employer: why did you leave? Probe: better job/ better pay/faster
promotion
6b. If self-employed: did you become self-employed before or afterWSC? Probe: why, what
promptedthis,e.g.entrepreneurialflair,sawothersdoit.
6c. Ifself-employedbeforeWSC:DoyougetmoreworkasaresultofparticipatinginWSC?Can
youchargemore?
6d. Ifnotinanyemployment,why?
Benefitstotheindividual
7. WhydidyoucompeteinWSC?Whatdidyouhopetogainfromtheexperience?
8. How did the training and participation in the WSC influence the development of your
technicalskills?Pleasegiveexamples.
9. How did the training and participation in the WSC develop your social skills, such as
communication and public speaking, time management, self-reflection and confidence?
Pleasegiveexamples.DidtheWSChelpyoudevelopanyotherskills?Ifyes,how?
10. Howdidthetrainingandparticipation intheWSCinfluenceyourcareer intermsofcareer
progression, signalling benefits, professional reputation and networking? Please give
examples.DidtheWSCinfluenceyourcareerinanyotherway?Ifyes,how?
11. TosummarisethebenefitsofWSCforyouasanindividual,whatwouldyouconsidertobe
themainshort-termandlong-termbenefits?
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Benefitstoemployerandothercolleagues
12. HowdidyouremployerbenefitfromyourparticipationintheWSC?Probe:betterpublicity
andhigherprestige,enhancedindividualperformance,satisfactionfrombeingcommittedto
skills development, teamwork benefits, new techniques/products, more clients, and
recruitmentbenefits.Pleasegiveexamples.
13. Didyour trainingandparticipation in theWSCbenefityouremployer inanyotherway? If
yes,how?Pleasegiveexamples.
BenefitstoCollege/Universityandotherstudents
14. Howdidyourcollege/universitybenefitfromyourparticipationintheWSC?Prove:better
teaching and learning, helped them attract more students, had positive influences on
existingstudents,enhancedcollegereputation.
15. Didyour trainingandparticipation in theWSCbenefityourcollege/university inanyother
way?Ifyes,how?Pleasegiveexamples.
Benefitstofamily,friends,otherassociates
16. Do you think your training and participation in the WSC impact on your immediate or
extendedfamily?Pleasegiveexamplesforeachbenefit.
17. DoyouthinkyourtrainingandparticipationintheWSCimpactonyourfriends?Pleasegive
examplesforeachbenefit.
18. Do you think your training and participation in the WSC impact on your neighbours /
acquaintances?Pleasegiveexamplesforeachbenefit.
Benefitstotheindustry
19. Howdoyou think the industry/sectormaybenefit fromskills competitions?Probe: raising
industryprofile, improving industry standards, attractingnew talent.Pleasegiveexamples
relevanttoyourindustry/sector.
BenefitstoSociety
20. Doyou think theWSC,or skills competitions ingeneral,haveanyeffectonwidersociety?
Probeandaskforexamples:
• raisingattractivenessofvocationaleducationandtraining,opportunityforyoungpeopleto
learnaboutavarietyofvocations;
• creatinganunderstandingthatacquiringvocationalskillscanleadtopromisingcareers;
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• opportunityforyoungpeopletoseethelevelofexcellenceandsuccessthatcanbeachieved
invocationalprofessions,andtheycangainconfidenceinreachingsimilarsuccess;
• improvingtheprofileofselectedindustriesandFEcolleges;
• attractingmoretalenttovocationaleducationandapprenticeships.
21. Intermsofsociety,whodoyouthinkarethemostimportantbeneficiariesofWSC?
22. Have you given any talks/presentations/lectures at schools, colleges, universities, local
communities, companies, professional associations or other groups on skills training,
competitionsoranyother topic related toyourprofession? If so,doyou think thesehave
influencedtheaudiencesthatyoutalkedto?How?
Summary
Ask for examples here – e.g. greater advertising/promotion of skills competitions or of individual
successes.
23. What needs to be done to enhance the benefits of skills competitions for employers and
industry/sector?
24. Whatneedstobedonetoenhancethebenefitsofskillscompetitionsforthewidersociety?
25. Isthereanythingelseyouwouldliketoaddregardingthebenefitsofskillscompetitions?