Document

City and Guilds and the International Apprentice Competition

Issued by City and Guilds probably in 1962, this single sheet document explains the history of the competition, the story of UK involvement and the team selection process

Boarding pass for 1961

This boarding pass was issued to Les Woolley, the UK team member for gas welding at the 1961 contest in Duisberg, Germany. Les was 17, from Stoke on Trent. It was the first time he had flown. He recalls the aircraft was an Airspeed Ambassador, popularly known as "Elizabethans" and operated by British European Airways until 1958. They were then sold to Dan Air who likely operated this flight as a charter from Gatwick, despite being labelled "First Class".

Test Project drawings

Set of Test Project designs from competitions with years unknown, likely 1960s. They are proposed and or selected.

Programme - 1960 International Competition

Typewritten programme of the 9th International Competition held in Barcelona in 1960.

Ninth International Apprentices Contest

Photocopy of an article on Engineering magazine regarding the 1960 contest and UK involvement in the IVTO. Page 472, 7/10/1960

Hotel receipt for Clive Barker in London before flying to Barcelona

Clive Barker was chosen to represent the UK in gas welding at the 1960 Barcelona Competition. He lived in Stoke on Trent as a Michelin apprentice and was making his first trip overseas and first flight. He spent the night before flying from Gatwick at the Grosvenor Hotel paid for by the City and Guilds Institute, the UK team organisers. This receipt shows he paid £2 13 shillings for the night, or £2.60p. He was charged seven shillings and six pence for breakfast or 38p. It includes a two pence stamp bearing the head of Queen Elizabeth as proof of payment. The hotel, in Victoria, is still in business. The current rate for a double room is around £200 with breakfast from £10.

Report on the 1958 contest in Brussels, by ILO

In page 208, brief summary of the 1958 contest in Brussels. It includes a table of the countries taking part, the size of their teams, and the number of medals each won.

Rules for the International Vocational Training

A document printed in English outlining the establishment of the IVTO and rules governing the competitions on 1 October 1956. As such it can be considered a founding document. The agreement gives a valuable insight into the growth of the organization in the post-war years due to the ideas and input of its European members. It shows that WorldSkills’ founding can be traced to two events in 1954 and 1956. Following the success of the early informal contests beginning in 1950, the idea of a formal organization set up along international lines appears to have come from the German ambassador in Madrid, Adalbert von Bayern who, in 1954, suggested it to Spanish officials. The Organizing Committee was set up in June 1954 to draft rules and lay down regulations for the competitions. It was made up of official and technical representatives from several countries who attended the contests. Finally on 1 October 1956 at a full meeting of the Organizing Committee of the International Vocational Training Competition a set of rules that would govern future competitions was established. The signatories were representatives from Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Holland, Italy and Belgium. Over 15 pages the agreement outlines the coordination, regulation and organizing of the skills competitions. As such, it can be considered a founding document of WorldSkills. The agreement outlines the structure of the Organizing Committee and the articles under which it is governed, the financing of the competitions, judging and prizes. It lists the names and positions of the Organizing Committee comprising a three-member executive, all of whom were Spanish, and Official Representatives and Technical Representatives from ten countries. The seat of the Secretariat was to be in Madrid. The agreement was published in several languages in 1957. In 1957, the competition was held in Madrid under the formal structure of the International Vocational Training Competition. It is also evidence of the shift towards the creation of an organization devoted to the cause of international youth skills and vocational education that would eventually become the WorldSkills of today: non-partisan, non-sectarian, and committed to “excellence, diversity, fairness, innovation, integrity, partnership and transparency.”

Rules for the International Vocational Training (photocophy)

Rules for the International Vocational Training Competition. This was the first rule book for the IVTO (now WorldSkills) and was created after the 1956 competition, where these rules were tested and observed. It was formally adopted and the IVTO (WorldSkills) officially created later that year.

Certificate of accession of Ireland into the IVTO

Ireland became the tenth (10) member of the IVTO in 1956, as certified by the attached Certificate of Membership.

Appeal for UK competitors for the 1956 Competition in Royal Society of Arts magazine

Brief article on Madrid 1956 which appeared in the RSA Journal in early 1956. This was the first time a British team (as opposed to a lone competitor) took part. The article includes an address for Fred Hill, the team organiser, who became a major figure in the WorldSkills Movement after attending with his son in 1953.

English application form for the 1956 International Competition

Entry form for competitors wishing to take part in the 1956 international competition in Madrid, the first to be held under IVTO rules. This form is in English. The cover shows the trophy given to first place winners.It is in the German language suggesting it was distributed to potential English participants.

Thank-you message to UK Alumni

Invitation to the WS UK Alumni Event 2010

Call to nominate Alumni Members for the 2011 Alumni Awards, WorldSkills UK

WorldSkills London 2011 “I am… your guide”

WorldSkills London 2011 “I am… your guide”, including a fold-out event map

I am...Going for Gold

Programme for the Closing Ceremony, WorldSkills London 2011 at the O2, London. The content includes messages from key leaders, the programme for the event, the names of competitors and sponsors.