Team UK prepares for EuroSkills Herning 2025 with support from WorldSkills UK and Pearson
Nineteen young professionals will represent the UK at EuroSkills Herning 2025 across key industry sectors
Nineteen young professionals from across the United Kingdom will compete at EuroSkills Herning 2025, Europe’s largest skills competition, taking place in Denmark from September 9 to 13.
Selected and trained by WorldSkills UK, in partnership with global education company Pearson, the competitors will showcase skills across a wide range of sectors including construction, engineering, health care, and digital technologies.
WorldSkills UK is a partnership between education, industry, and the four UK governments that uses international skills competitions to benchmark standards and raise workforce readiness. Pearson, a lifelong learning company, serves as the official partner of Team UK for both EuroSkills Herning 2025 and WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Team UK to compete in critical industry sectors
The competitors, selected through a national process involving months of assessment and training, will participate in disciplines that support national priorities such as housing construction, engineering excellence, and health care services.
Minister for Skills, Jacqui Smith, says, “Congratulations to all those chosen for the EuroSkills team, it’s a fantastic achievement and a unique opportunity to showcase the strength of UK skills on the European stage. These young people represent the ambition and expertise being developed through our further education system, which is central to building a workforce fit for the future.”
Team UK members will compete in areas such as Electrical Installation, Plumbing and Heating, Joinery, Cabinetmaking, Painting and Decorating, Mechatronics, Industry 4.0, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering CAD, CNC Milling, Web Technologies, Graphic Design, Welding, Health and Social Care, Hairdressing, Cooking, and Restaurant Service.
Raising training standards and measuring global competitiveness
WorldSkills UK uses international competitions like EuroSkills as a platform to raise training standards at home and benchmark the UK’s readiness to compete globally. The results at EuroSkills Herning will also serve as preparation for the next WorldSkills Competition, scheduled for Shanghai, China in September 2026.
Ben Blackledge, chief executive officer at WorldSkills UK, says, “We are so excited to be supporting and nurturing this fantastic group of young professionals as they head for Denmark to compete. They will be tested to the highest standards, showcasing the skills that global employers are looking for, and will return to the UK with the knowledge and experience that will turbo charge their careers.”
Blackledge adds, “EuroSkills is ultimately a test of how internationally competitive UK skills are. It gives us the impetus to raise standards at home and help more young people get high quality jobs.”
Pearson continues support for skills excellence
Pearson continues its collaboration with WorldSkills UK following its partnership at WorldSkills Lyon 2024. The company emphasizes the importance of raising the profile of technical and vocational education internationally.
Freya Thomas Monk, managing director of Pearson Qualifications, says, “We are incredibly proud to support this inspiring group of young people as they prepare for the EuroSkills challenge this year. Celebrating the best of technical and vocational education and raising the prestige of the sector is very important to us. I wish Team UK the best of luck as they prepare to compete in Denmark in September.”
