Thursday, 06 October 2011 13:33 Wednesday 5 October was National Teachers Day and Lee Davis, deputy CEO of the Institute for Learning (IfL) and President of the Chartered Institute of Plumbers and Heating Engineers, spoke to FE News about why those who can, should teach.

"First and foremost our members are experts in their fields," said Davis.

"Then they decide to give something back to their profession and become teachers and trainers, and the IfL supports them through their training. They have this fantastic dual professional identity; not only are they subject experts but they are also fantastic teachers and trainers.

"For them, WorldSkills is an opportunity for the young people they have trained to show off their skills, but also for them to celebrate their involvement in getting them to that level."

The IfL has a stand at World Skills, and Davis has been amazed at the numbers of young people keen to find out about what they do.

He explained: "They really get into it. They are really interested that the people who teach them are chefs and engineers themselves. We are inspiring young people to come into the vocations, and we are inspiring those people who are already engineers, chefs and plumbers to want to teach."

Rachel Salmon