Entries open for IMI Skills Competition

Employers and FE colleges are being encouraged to nominate their students and apprentices for this year’s IMI Skills Competition, with numbers significantly down this year due to the pandemic.

Joanna Hollingdale, careers and student membership manager, said: “Normally by this stage of the competition we would expect to see significant numbers of entrants to the competition. But this year we think that employers and FE Colleges may not realise the competition is running – and that their students and apprentices can be entered. It’s vital we celebrate the talent that exists in our sector – and which could eventually be showcased in the World Skills Competition later this year. So we are urging employers and colleges to make their nominations as soon as possible.

“Entry is free – and does not require any face-to-face interaction in the early stages. We therefore hope that employers and FE colleges will look at the cohort of students and apprentices who have done such an amazing job in the last year to continue learning and developing their skills. Young people under 25 have been some of the hardest hit in the pandemic for redundancies and furlough, but many have kept learning. This year, perhaps more than ever, the new talent in our sector needs to be celebrated.”

There are four streams in which nominees can be entered: Automotive Technology; Automotive Body Repair; Automotive Refinishing; and Heavy Vehicle Technology.

The deadline for nominations and completion of the initial online quiz is 14 May.

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