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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

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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

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'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.

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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

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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

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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.

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7.Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants in this study for their time in explaining to us their

experienceofbeinginvolvedinWorldSkills.

31

8.References

Allen,J.,James,S.,&Mayhew,K.(2015).FurthereducationcollegeparticipationinWorldSkillsandotherskillscompetitions.Oxford,UK:UniversityofOxford.

BERA.(2011).Ethicalguidelinesforeducationalresearch.BritishEducationResearchAssociation.Retrievedfromhttp://content.yudu.com/Library/A1t9gr/BERAEthicalGuideline/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.yudu.com%25252Fitem%25252Fdetails%25252F375952%25252FBERA-Ethical-Guidelines-2011

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?