In September 2009, the 40th WorldSkills Competition was held in Calgary, Canada. It was an overwhelming experience, from the Opening Ceremony, to the four days of intense competition, to the emotional Closing Ceremony. It was also one of the most successful WorldSkills Competitions ever and many of the WorldSkills London 2011 team were lucky enough to be there to see it firsthand.

"It was the first time I had seen a WorldSkills Competition and I just couldn't believe the scale of it," said Jonathan Hurford-Potter, Finance Director, WorldSkills London 2011. "Nothing quite prepares you for the first sight of the Competition, its vastness, noise and excitement."

There were over 800 Competitors from all over the world, battling it out for gold, silver and bronze medals, but also benchmarking their standards and learning from each other. Over 150, 000 people came to watch the Competition and of them, 50,000 school children visited over the four days to see the skills in action, ranging from carpentry and autobody repair through to hairdressing and web design. There were interactive elements, such as try-a-trade, where visitors could turn their hand to welding, bricklaying or cooking and also 'launch pads' where visitors were orientated before visiting the competitions.

"In many ways, we will not have a rehersal for WorldSkills London 2011, so coming to Calgary is the closest we will get" said Aidan Jones, Executive Director, WorldSkills London 2011. "From watching the competitions first hand to shadowing our Canadian hosts, we were allowed 'behind the scenes' to see how it all came together - a great opportunity for the WorldSkills London 2011 team. The experiences we had and the things we learnt in Calgary will stand us in good stead for producing the most exciting, inclusive and inspiring WorldSkills Competition ever in October 2011."

See you in London!