WorldSkills UK national qualifier to be hosted by The Security Event

WorldSkills UK aligns international Best Practice with national networks to enhance apprenticeship and technical education standards, all the while collaborating with industry needs and Government priorities. The competition draws thousands of students and apprentices from across diverse sectors, including security systems, fire solutions, cyber security and more.

At The Security Event 2024, the WorldSkills competition will feature a live installation challenge, recognising and showcasing the next generation of security and fire systems installers from across the UK. The winners will proceed to the WorldSkills UK final to be staged in November.

Tristan Norman, event director for The Security Event at the Nineteen Group, commented: “Hosting the WorldSkills UK national qualifier at The Security Event aligns perfectly with our commitment to advancing skills in the security and fire systems industries. We’re proud to provide a platform on which the next generation of talent is able to shine.”

David Scott, managing director of Skills for Security, responded: “The WorldSkills UK electronic fire and security competition is now in its fifth year. During that time, we’ve seen over 2,000 individuals participate in the competition cycle across the whole of the UK.”

Scott continued: “We are keen to continuously improve on the competition cycle. That being so, this move to The Security Event at the NEC aligns with our own organisational goals to improve accessibility to our competitions, raise our profile through strong industry partnerships and improve quality by attracting more prestigious partners to support us. We are extremely grateful to The Security Event for its support and investment back into the sector.”

View from the inspectorates

Richard Fogelman, CEO of the National Security Inspectorate (which is a founding supporter of WorldSkills UK and a member of the official adjudication team). affirmed: “The profile and prestige of WorldSkills UK has captured the attention of the younger generation. This is a demographic that our industry aims to inspire. Those already working within the security and fire sectors recognise the breadth of fantastic opportunities evolving with technology. It’s extremely important to amplify this message.”

Fogelman concluded: “We are delighted that The Security Event will host the national qualifier. Building on last year’s competition, we anticipate the calibre of entries this year will be outstanding. We invite show visitors to witness the spectacle of the competition. The passion and skills of these young competitors will be inspirational.”

Andrew Brown, sales and marketing manager at the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (itself a stakeholder in the WorldSkills competition), observed: “It’s truly gratifying to witness the WorldSkills competition’s ongoing growth each year. We are enthusiastic about endorsing and contributing to this event with the primary goal of enhancing the recognition of apprenticeships and opportunities within the sector, while in parallel shining a spotlight on the promising talent of the next generation.”

Cohort of stakeholders

In addition to Skills for Security, the National Security Inspectorate and the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board, the stakeholders involved in the WorldSkills competition also include CSL with additional support from industry organisations.

Manufacturers including Dahua Technology and Honeywell Fire have demonstrated their commitment by donating equipment, furthering initiatives to upskill individuals who are new to the security and fire industries. 

*Registration for the WorldSkills competition will open on 26 February. In the interim, interested parties should e-mail worldskills@skillsforsecurity.org.uk