Irish Hospitality Students seek WorldSkills gold in Canada

Two hospitality students have gold in their sights as they prepare to represent Ireland at WorldSkills, the international skills competition taking place in Canada from 1st to 7th September.

Over 900 international competitors from 49 countries will compete simultaneously in 45 skill categories during four days of intense competition.  Hailed as the pinnacle of global skills, trades, and technology competition, this biennial event promotes excellence and international competency throughout the craft areas.

Breid Devlin from County Donegal will represent Ireland in the cookery category while Kristina Beale, a native of County Wexford will compete in the restaurant service category. Both students are in full time training for the event and are part of an 11 strong Irish team representing a wide range of craft skills.
 
An intensive period of training is well under way with support from Fáilte Ireland, which has provided funds to enable the hospitality students to prepare for the event on a full time basis.
 
Speaking about the competition, John Mulcahy Head Education and Skills Development at Fáilte Ireland said: 

“WorldSkills is an enormously prestigious competition which, over its 50 year history, has come to symbolise the pinnacle of excellence in training. We are therefore taking a professional approach to preparing the Irish hospitality skills competitors.”
 
“Competing at this level on a world stage, demands the highest degree of professionalism. It is also an outstanding learning and development opportunity for our competitors, who have already demonstrated their ability to achieve world class standards.”
 
Both competitors are very proud to be representing Ireland on the world stage and are already reaping the benefits of the preparation programme. Speaking in advance of the competition, Breid Devlin said:
 
“It is a great honour to represent your country and I am really looking forward to competing against top young chefs from around the world. I successfully completed the Fáilte Ireland Professional Cookery Advanced Programme with distinction in Killybegs in 2006 and have been entering competitions for the last two years. Last year I captained the Irish Junior Culinary Team to a silver and bronze medal in the World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany and I was also the overall winner of the “Young Chef” at the Welsh International Culinary Championships last year.”
 
For Kristine Beale who hails from Ballycarney in County Wexford, WorldSkills will provide an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in her craft area on a world stage. Kristine decided to begin a career path in hospitality and enrolled on the Fáilte Ireland Advanced Certificate Hospitality Skills Programme at Waterford IT. She was selected on the Irish team to compete at the European Association of Hotel and Tourism Schools (AEHT) competition in Estonia last year and won gold in the restaurant service competition.
 
Both competitors are hoping to emulate Ireland’s success in the 2005 WorldSkills when WIT student Sinead Lacey from Wexford won a gold medal in restaurant service.
 
For further information on WorldSkills log on to www.worldskills2009.com
 

ENDS

Photograph attached of the Irish WorldSkills Hospitality Team.
 
Seated (l-r) Kristina Beale, Restaurant Skills Competitor; Shane Raftery, Fáilte Ireland and WorldSkills Council Member; Breid Devlin, Cookery Skills Competitor. Standing (l-r) Ray Cullen WIT, WorldSkills Restaurant Expert and George Smith, DIT, WorldSkills Cookery Expert.
 

For further information please contact:

Louise Tolerton
Press Officer - 086 6086578/01 8847135
 

Note for editor

Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy.
 
The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 250,000 people and generates more than €6 billion in revenue a year.
 
Information on WorldSkills

• The Irish team at WorldSkills 2009 was selected by the WorldSkills (Calgary) Council which is supported by the Department of Education and Science, Fáilte Ireland, FAS, Irish Vocational Education Association and the Institutes of Technology.

• WorldSkills provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades and service sectors of the global economy. The continued growth of WorldSkills confirms the fact that traditional trade and craft skills along with the newer technology multi-skilled vocations make an essential contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of individuals.

• Every two years hundreds of young skilled people, accompanied by their teachers and trainers, gather together from around the world to compete before the public in the skills of their various trades and test themselves against demanding international standards. They represent the best of their peers drawn from regional and national skill competitions held currently in over 50 countries/regions.

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