From visitor to future champion – meet Jack Wilkes

Going beyond being just a 15-year old school boy who likes playing with the computer, Jack Wilkes made that extra effort to search for his passion that – he didn’t know at first - would set him on his path to becoming a future WorldSkills Champion for the UK. 

“When I saw the stand of Autodesk at The Skills Show last year, I was immediately hooked by the cool display and the moving designs, I was eager to know how I could do the same thing”, said Jack, who visited The Skills Show for the first time in 2013 with his father.

Jack’s interest in CAD has been further helped by Mike Westlake, Autodesk UK Education Manager, who has been mentoring Jack in his spare time since last year. “In the UK, the press tends to generalize about young people, suggesting they don’t care or consider their future or their education; especially those who don't engage with the traditional academic path. However this is not the case, which is what I saw when I met Jack. And it’s exactly what I see with all the WorldSkills Champions from around the world who are inspiring the next generation,” commented Mike, who is himself a WorldSkills Champion, representing the UK in Mechanical Engineering CAD in Japan in 2007.

The support of Jack’s parents has been the key for him to stay focussed in pursuit of his dream to become a Champion in this field. Jack’s father, Chris Wilkes, said: “It’s his life and his career, what we can only do is to be supportive. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do at school, and now he is excelling at subjects which are relevant to his goal of becoming a CAD designer.”

This year, Jack worked on the stand of A New Look at Skills during The Skills Show 2014. (See previous story). Not only did he get to have more hands-on experience, he also had a chance to speak with more people who are involved in the WorldSkills movement, including sharing his motivational story at the Thank-You Gathering in Madrid (See later story) hosted by the Foundation on 5 December. With all these doors opening for him, Jack is determined that he will continue to develop his CAD skills and pursue his dream to represent the UK at the 2019 or 2021 WorldSkills Competition.

Jack’s experience has also inspired his younger sister, who visited The Skills Show this year with the same goal of finding her dream. As he is sharing his story and being so focused on what he wants to achieve, his school is planning to bring all their Year 10 and Year 11 students to The Skills Show in 2015. 

Jack’s story is just one example of the many thousands of young people who are being inspired by WorldSkills Competitions in all parts of the world. It also reveals the important role that our WorldSkills Champions play as role models, and their willingness to mentor those that are following in their footsteps.