Published 28 November 2012
ESF at The Skills Show
Nova Training representative Mark Hickman (foreground) at the Nova
Training ESF
stand.
European Social Fund (ESF) providers, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Managing Authority and ESF-Works project were among those participting at 'WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show' held recently in Birmingham. The event, at the National Exhibition Centre, ran from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 November and was a great success with almost 71,000 visitors attending this inaugural event. The show involved 64 skills competitions, 44 Have a Go opportunities, over 51 Showcase skill performances, more than 150 Spotlight talks, 6 extremely busy career advice hubs and 150 exhibitors – all under one roof
The Skills Show is the UK’s largest skills and careers event and was particularly well atttended by it’s primary target audience of young people aged 16-24 years of age. The event featured a huge array of vocational skills demonstrations taking place across the venue. These included construction and landscaping, engineering, cultural and creative arts such as web and games design, and social and professional services like floristry, hairdressing and catering. In addition, there were many opportunities for visitors to ‘have a go’ at many of the vocational skills on show.
The England ESF programme was strongly represented in an ESF exhibition area of around 30 ESF funded training providers. The exhibitors organised interactive skills activities along with providing advice and guidance to visitors on the skills and job opportunities and support that their and similar projects can provide.
The stand for Nova Training (pictured) for instance, ran a popular nail bar, alongside a prize competition to name the different component parts of an engine, which reflected some of the wide range of training opportunities that they offer for young people in Sandwell, Dudley and Staffordshire.
Nova Training will also be offering local Skills Show ‘Have A Go’ events in the coming months. The joint DWP-ESF-Works stand was similarly well attended, with many people wishing to test their reaction speeds on the BATAK Reaction Game, as well as accessing information about the ESF programme via iPad consoles, a QR reader for mobile phones, printed material, and from the ESF representatives themselves.
The DWP ESF Managing Authority/ESF-Works joint project
stand at 'WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show'.
On Thursday two very well attended ESF seminars were held in the conference area. The first focused on delivering measures to support young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and the second on the ESF cross-cutting themes of equal opportunities and sustainable development. This seminar included the presentation of the 2012 ESF Mainstreaming Leader Awards by Dimtcho Tourdanov from the European Commission to the six award winners. The winning projects, including a number of participants, were given the opportunity to talk about their successes and lessons learned, including good practice.
More information and interviews with five of the six award winners can be found on the ESF-Works website – the showcase and forum for policy and practice lessons from the ESF programme. An interview with the sixth winner - the AIM Partnership, which won the ESF Gender Equality Leader Award will be added to the ESF-Works website shortly.
On the Friday Skills Minister Matthew Hancock was on site and was impressed to see the range of opportunities that are available to young people. "The Skills Show is an amazing showcase for the vast variety of skills we have in this country,” he said. “Just as we celebrate our athletes so we champion our skills and inspire young people to make their own mark on industries ranging from engineering to web design. Creating a highly skilled nation will support our economy, safeguard our industries and improve the prospects of Britain."
Comments from ESF exhibitors
"The event has helped us with ideas on marketing, promoting and exhibiting which has got to be good for ESF. We were really surprised at how engaging young people were with the different types of activities. The young people were polite and showed respect. It’s been a pleasure to be part of the exhibit"
Igen Ltd
"A brilliant opportunity for young people to test out what they want to do in the future. It’s put Calderdale College’s ESF project on the map and we have engaged with lots of new providers."
Calderdale College
"This is a superb way of promoting ESF and vocational options. Its been great fun – as much fun for 10 year olds as its been for 16 year olds. We have been very impressed with the standard of the exhibits."
Cambridge Regional College