Competition organising partners design skills competitions that help to meet employers’ skills needs, ensuring the competitions remain an important mechanism for raising standards in apprenticeship and training programmes and attracting more young people into vocational careers routes across the UK.

Our partners are committed to lifting and raising the standards of competitions and performance outcomes through supporting pre-competition activities, facilitating competitor training and development and the alignment of standards across national and international competitions.

Young person competing in Wall and Floor Tiling competition

The key activities delivered by COPs include:

  • designing test projects that meet industry needs and standards

  • raising awareness of the benefits of competitions

  • delivering passive tests, national qualifiers and the national finals

  • recruiting and training judges

  • agreeing the assessment criteria for competitions

  • securing sponsorship and value in kind

  • communication, training and development for their competitors

  • widening participation and increasing diversity

Interested in getting involved?

There are a number of ways in which you can become involved in competitions – help to design test projects, become a judge, provide value in kind, support the promotion of competitions within your organisation or region. To find out more, please contact our competition organising partners.

National Competitions
Young person competing in Graphic Design competition

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