Simon Bartley, chair of SummitSkills, has been appointed Chief Executive of UK Skills, the organisation that promotes skills and learning through competitions and awards.

Simon's main responsibility will be raising the profile of skills across the United Kingdom, primarily through the support of skills competitions including EuroSkills and WorldSkills. With the UK hosting the WorldSkills in 2011, a major part of his new role will be organising that competition and ensuring that the UK team performs well and makes a significant impact on the international skills arena.


Commenting on his appointment, Simon said: "I'm delighted to become the chief executive of UK Skills because the promotion of skills through competitions, not only at regional and national level but also European and international level, allows individuals and companies to demonstrate their talents and benchmark them against world standards. Involvement in these events will enable the UK to hone its abilities prior to WorldSkills London 2011, by which time I hope that our team will outperform our global competitors."

(CL)