Martin Jones is no stranger to WorldSkills! He competed in bricklaying at the WorldSkills Competition in Japan in 1985 and then he went on to become the joint Team Leader of the UK Team. In 2005 Martin was the Training Manager for bricklaying and his competitor, Terry Coles received a Medallion of Excellence for his work.

Martin says:

“I think I’m the only person in the UK to have been a competitor, Team Leader and International Expert for WorldSkills. I have invested a lot of time in WorldSkills and skills competitions because I believe that it’s so important in today’s world to develop a competitive edge. The training that you receive from competing stands you in such good stead for your future career.”

Martin works as the Learning Director of Construction at Derby College. He decided to train as a lecturer after competing in Japan:

"Competing gave me the inspiration and confidence to carry on learning and developing new skills and knowledge and this led me to becoming a lecturer. In my role I always promote and encourage year ten and eleven students to consider skills competitions as a way for them to begin thinking about their careers and start making informed career choices.”

Today Martin holds a BSc Degree in Building, NEBS Diploma in Management and a PGCE teacher qualification. He is also currently studying for an Advanced Practioners Certificate as the part of the DFES Standards Unit’s Subject Learning Coach Initiative which aims to raise standards in teaching and learning in construction.