Crown Paints Nurtures Young Talent At WorldSkills London 2011

Nov. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Crown Paints has been supporting the brightest painting and decorating stars for over 33 years through its Crown Trade Apprentice Decorator of the Year Award – an investment in the future of the industry that ensures standards are constantly improved.

Against this backdrop, it was a natural progression for the company to become involved in the largest international skills competition and careers event in the world – WorldSkills London 2011 - as the presenting sponsor of the event’s Painting and Decorating competition

WorldSkills London 2011, held in October this year, was the biggest event ever hosted at ExCeL in London’s Docklands, attracting people from across the globe, including high profile guests such as Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Hundreds of young people from the UK and 50 countries overseas took part in 46 vocational skills contests, offering a unique opportunity to see the world’s most talented trainees, workers and apprentices take part in the most challenging competitions of their lives.

The 43-strong UK team included 22-year old Galashiels decorator Rachel Terras, a veteran of the Crown Trade Apprentice Decorator of the Year Competition, where her outstanding performances led to her being invited to try for a place on the WorldSkills London 2011 UK Squad.  

Along with a commitment to supply all the paint and materials for the contest, Crown Paints agreed to run a “Have a Go” area, where visitors tried their hand at stenciling, using some of the most popular Crown colours.

More than 1,000 stencils were completed in the Crown Paints ’Have a Go’ area, which was designed to stimulate interest in the profession. Shocking Pink proved to be the most popular colour.  

Crown Paints Senior Brand Manager Debbie Orr said; “WorldSkills was incredible. It was without doubt the largest and most impressive skills competition and careers event we have ever seen in this country, or will ever see again.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been involved as a sponsor, helping to shine a bright light on talented young people from around the world who represent the future.

“It was thrilling to see the standards achieved in the various competitions, but it was equally rewarding to see the interest generated on the ‘Have a Go’ stands amongst those who have yet to decide on their career.

“On our own stand, with the help of Lambeth College, we encouraged quite a few budding young decorators to find out more about local training opportunities and apprenticeships.

“What’s more our ‘Have a Go’ area gave us an excellent opportunity to talk about paint colours, to get people choosing their favourite shades and expressing how different colours made them feel.

“That’s exactly what we mean at Crown when we say “It’s not just paint, it’s personal.”
See a video of Crown Paints at Worldskills 2011 at http://www.youtube.com/user/CrownTradeTV

ENDS

Press release issued by Jane Shepherd, of Shepherd PR Limited. jane@shepherd-pr.com
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