The Partnership Team

Greetings from the Partnership team at WorldSkills London 2011 - we are a small but perfectly formed team of two, Sereen El-Jamal and myself, Michael Osbaldeston; although to be fair, we probably make enough noise for twice that many! Sereen has worked in the vocational skills sector for nearly 10 years and I was part of the bid team that brought WorldSkills to London. Within the WorldSkills London 2011 team, we have special responsibility for our partners and stakeholders - those are the important organisations and influential individuals who will help us deliver not just an outstanding event in 2011, but help bring about the legacy.

'What's the legacy?' I hear you say - well, WorldSkills London 2011 is going to be more than an amazing event. Through it we are aiming to change people's attitudes to voacational skills, raise awareness of the contribution made by Further Education to the success of individuals, businesses and the national economy and encourage more people to participate in skills competitions.

That's a lot to achieve, which is why we need the help of a wide range of organisations. So we are working with people ranging from the British Council, Business in the Community and Sector Skills Councils to London Underground, LOCOG and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, because WorldSkills London 2011 is not just for London, it's for the whole of the UK.

There's a lot to do, but we have a great team working on WorldSkills London 2011 and, of course, we have you! Yes, you! You can help us spread the word about vocational skills and WorldSkills London 2011 - after all, you are one of our most important partners!