Clark Crawley
Cooking Competitor
2005 WorldSkills Competition, Helsinki, Finland

Clark Crawley from Notting Hill, London, realised he had a passion for cooking at the age of 14 whilst helping his mother in the kitchen preparing gourmet feasts for the family.

At the age of sixteen Clark enlisted onto an Apprenticeship programme at The Thistle Hotel to train to become a qualified Sous Chef. Clark says:

"I knew I had talent but sitting in a classroom just wasn't for me. I'm a hands-on type of person and cooking is something that has interested me since I was young."

Clark was encouraged to enter skills competitions through his head chef at The Thistle Hotel. In his first competition, Clark performed admirably finishing as runner up at the Sodexho Junior Chef competition.

"I learnt a great deal about myself in that competition, I caught the bug and wanted to develop myself further."

This became the start of more competitions for Clark and his defining moment came when he won the national final of the SkillHOSPITALITY Competition in 2004 and qualified for a place on the UK team at WorldSkills 2005 in Helsinki.

What was your personal highlight about competing at WorldSkills 2005?

"It was a great honour to represent the UK in hospitality. The WorldSkills Competition is the biggest skills competition there is and it was an amazing experience. I felt proud to be competing against the best young chefs from around the world."

Why do you compete in skills competitions?

"I always aim to continually improve my skills as a chef. Skills competitions enable me to learn and improve my abilities. I am able to fine-tune my skills."

Has your career progressed since competing in skills competitions?

"Yes it has, I've moved quickly through the ranks of the chef-grading system and I have been given more responsibilities at work. I've been fortunate to travel the world as a result of skills competitions. I've been to Finland, Italy and New Zealand. However, the most satisfying thing of all is gaining the respect of my work colleagues and admiration from friends and family."

Why do you think students should enter skills competitions?

"Skills Challenge competitions provide a great opportunity for students to improve their skills within their chosen career. Competing in skills competitions looks great on my C.V. I have grown in confidence and professionalism. I have met a lot of good people who have given me useful advice about the industry."

And a final piece of advice from Clark

"Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd and prove your worth. If I can do it, you can too."