By Christine Scoot, Marketing & Project Coordinator, WSI

The setting is the ‘Quality VET – a key to success’ conference in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden. For the past 24 hours the topic had been about raising the quality and attractiveness in VET (Vocational Education and Training), a regularly used term within the European Union. The participants were people from ministries representing all of the member countries of the European Union. The conference was hosted by ENQA-VET (European Network for Quality Assurance) and Skolverket and was an associated event of the Swedish European Presidency.

On the second day of conference and about 1½ hour before the conclusion of the conference, four past WorldSkills Champions* took the stage, in a panel discussion, very similar to the one that took place during the WorldSkills Leaders Forum in Calgary this September, if you were one of the lucky ones to attend the session.

Mark Callaghan’s Welcome
As this is the first SkillNews for 2010 I would like to wish everyone a very happy and safe New Year.

Once again, it is going to be a big year for WorldSkills Australia and already we have seen plenty of activity. With the year only 4 days old, Lincoln Costello and Michelle Hardy from the National office, together with a dedicated group of WorldSkills volunteers, WorldSkills Australia staged the ‘World’s Biggest Try’aTrade event’ as part of the 2010 Australian Scout Jamboree. The event, held from the 4th to 14th of January, was a huge success as 10,000 scouts from around the country were provided with the opportunity to try their hand at over 30 different skill activities. One of the aims of WorldSkills Australia is to raise the awareness and profile of trades and skills and the Australian Scout Jamboree provided us with an ideal opportunity to do this on a massive scale. As a result of the efforts of all involved we have developed a very positive relationship with the Scouting movement and are already looking at other ways in which we can work together in the future.

Click here to read the full newsletter.  

The winning Dutch teams

On 10 ,11 and 12 December in Bursa, Turkey, Dutch VET students achieved silver and bronze during the Skills Fashion Competition. The silver medal was won by Nathan Reijnen and Annelinde Gorter from the ROC Mondriaan. The bronze medal was for Hilda de Jong and Helena van Zuijlen from the Friesland College. On 4, 5 and 6 March they have hereby acquired a place in the Dutch fashion finals at Skills Masters in Ahoy Rotterdam.

In total 16 Dutch students and 24 Turkish students participated in the skill competition. In three days time they had to design and create a dress for the summer of 2010. The jury paid high attention to design, used techniques and cooperation in the teams.

Skills Masters At Skills Masters the competition will be between the three best Dutch and the three best Turkish teams. From 23 to 26 November 2010 the best Dutch team and the best Turkish team will participate in EuroSkills in Lisbon.

Skills Netherlands Skills Netherlands supported Skills Turkey in the organisation of the skill competitions. The Ministry of OCW and the Kenniscentrum Handel supported the Skills Fashion Project. Together with Skills Netherlands their goal is to stimulate internationalization within vocational education. Skills Netherlands also organizes many different projects to promote vocational education, like the skill event Skills Masters.

More information you can find on www.vakwedstrijden.nl.

Come and join us in London for the largest international vocational skills competition in the world, WorldSkills London 2011.

WorldSkills London will be held at the ExCeL exhibition and conference centre in London’s docklands from 5th - 8th October 2011. There are lots of opportunities to get involved in the most exciting, inclusive and inspirational WorldSkills Competition ever.

For more information visit: www.worldskillslondon2011.com.

Join us as we honour the past and launch the future during a year of celebration for our diamond anniversary (1950-2010).

WorldSkills International is planning the biggest anniversary party in its history and we hope to be joined by all of you around the world. If you want to host a festivity in your town or country or during your event, watch for our “celebration in a box” which will enable you to create your own celebration no matter where you are.

Tell us about all your plans so that we can see how many places and people throughout the world help us mark this impressive milestone.

The conclusion of the anniversary will take place in October in Kingston, Jamaica where all our Members will come together for the annual General Assembly. We will have leaders, youth, delegates and many more there to work together towards a strong future. The official anniversary party of the year is a gala event on October 9th, also in Jamaica.

We look forward to working with you this year to commemorate our 60th anniversary and for an even stronger future as we move towards new goals together.

Wishing you all the best in 2010!

WorldSkills International Board of Directors and Secretariat

By WorldSkills International

As 2009 draws to a close, WorldSkills International would like to take a moment to reflect on the past year. For the most part, the efforts throughout the WorldSkills family were concentrated on preparations for WorldSkills Calgary 2009, the 40th WorldSkills Competition. With 46 Member countries/regions participating in the Competition, it was the largest to date with over 800 Competitors. Everyone involved will not forget the outstanding event and it will have a special place in the history of WorldSkills International. For those of you who weren’t able to join us in Calgary, you can watch the highlights and over 150 video clips on WorldSkills TV.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people and organisations who worked tirelessly and contributed greatly to ensure the success of such a large and unique event like this. The WorldSkills Calgary 2009 organising committee was excellent and delivered world-class facilities, equipment, initiatives and hospitality. Our Host Member, Skills/Compétences Canada, also contributed greatly with their personnel network and years of experience in running national and provincial competitions. 

As we now turn our attention to 2010, the 60 year anniversary of WorldSkills International is upon us and we look forward to celebrating with all of you around the world. Stay tuned for more information about the 60th anniversary of WorldSkills International.

The Vasco da Gama Bridge

By EuroSkills Lisboa 2010

In 2010, Lisbon proudly welcomes the 2nd edition of EuroSkills and hosts hundreds of Competitors and Experts, representing 31 countries and 50 vocational skills.

EuroSkills Lisboa 2010 is an opportunity to raise the image, quality and attractiveness of VET systems in Europe. An opportunity to bring together different stakeholders in the VET field: leaders and policy makers, experts, trainers and teachers, schools and enterprises. An opportunity to demonstrate, test, compare and update work and training methodologies, to strengthen partnerships and enhance common patterns within Europe. An opportunity for a live showcase of skills and a way of promoting excellence and of recognising the competences of Europe’s best trainees and trainers.

Chief Expert Heli Stolt (far left) and members of her Expert team just before the winner is announced

By WorldSkills International

As WorldSkills International gets bigger and Competitions grow in size, we have to address the issue of sustainability. Over the last ten years WorldSkills International membership has increased by 53 percent. That is why the Sustainability Task Force was set up at the General Assembly in Shizuoka 2007 to protect the environment, reduce costs and space required, reduce the environmental impact on the community, facilitate future growth, and develop best practices transferable to other skills.

By WorldSkills Leipzig 2013

English version:
After Leipzig won the bid for running the WorldSkills Competition in 2013, a powerful media echo has gripped Germany. Alone the first press clipping on the Competition reached several hundred thousands of contacts.

Deutsch version:
Deutschland im WorldSkills-Fieber

Nach dem Gewinn der WorldSkills 2013 Ausscheidungswettbewerbe hat sich in Deutschland eine überaus starke Medienresonanz entwickelt.

Allein das erste Presseclipping zu den Wettbewerben erfasste Hunderttausende von Medienkotakten. Dazu kommen einige TV-Berichte.

Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development with Mike Holmes and a WorldSkills Champion

By Skills/Compétences Canada

After the competition, celebration, joy, friendship, fond farewells and a few tears, the skills movement lives on in Canada!
Seven years after initiating the bid to host the 40th WorldSkills Competition, Skills/Compétences Canada celebrated the success of the Competition with a look to the future, and the continuing need for highly skilled trade and technology talent.

“Supporting the 40th WorldSkills Competition was one more way our partners and volunteers demonstrated their commitment to the Skills Movement,” said Terry Cooke, President of Skills/Compétences Canada. “Canada is among an elite group of countries that has hosted a WorldSkills Competition twice and we will continue to shine a spotlight on the skilled labour opportunities that Canada has to offer.”

By Tjerk Dusseldorp, President, WorldSkills International

Calmar Secondary School, with its motto that “every student is a winner”, is located in northern Alberta in the heart of the agricultural and oil field industries just southwest of the city of Edmonton.

Just a few days ago, the school received a shipment of machining equipment valued at CAD$100,000 as part of the Alberta Government’s CAD$14 million WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Equipment Legacy program.

By WorldSkills International

Not only has this skill area changed its name for this Competition (earlier Ladies Dressmaking), a handful of Experts led by Chief Expert Jozée Dulude and a very determined Workshop Supervisor took it upon themselves to give the audience a real treat at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

Fashion Technology joined the Canadian Cancer Society and arranged for a fundraiser event called ‘Design for the Cure’.

The first ever fashion show where models hit the runway to show the work of the Competitors, was staged during the Farewell Party after the Closing Ceremony. This year’s theme was wedding dresses and the fashion show ended in a silent auction, where mainly brides-to-be were bidding for their favourite dresses.

By Institute of Technical Education, Singapore

Picture this: 26 top IT youths from all over the world in deep, intense concentration, all trying to do the tasks at hand. For Tan Thiam Shui, Singapore’s representative in the IT-PC/Network Support skill area at the WorldSkills Competition (WSC) 2009, the tension in the air was palpable.

Recalled Thiam Shui: “The competition area was much bigger. The environment was very competitive, as I was competing with 25 strong Competitors from countries such as Finland, USA, Switzerland, Korea, Japan and Germany. And each Competitor was the best from their own country!”

Despite the tense environment, Thiam Shui was unfazed. For four days, he worked steadily, tackling tasks such as configuring system and network devices and implementing business IT systems. “Proper planning was a critical part of the Competition. Each day, I had to plan out the many tasks and conquered them one by one. When I came across difficulties, I did not panic, but learnt to think on my feet. This strategy had worked well with me during the Singapore leg of the Competition, WorldSkills Singapore,” said Thiam Shui.

Thiam Shui’s strategy certainly worked well. He not only won the Gold Medal, but also beat more than 800 Competitors to win the Albert Vidal Award, as the top scorer of the Competition.

By WorldSkills Australia

Team Australia Skillaroos took WorldSkills Australia Try ‘a Trade to Parliament House today and impressed our parliamentarians with their medal winning skills while passing on some of their world class techniques on the lawns of Federation mall, Canberra.

Participating in what was a first for WorldSkills Australia and our members of parliament was The Deputy Prime Minister The Hon Julia Gillard, Senator Mark Arbib, Minister for Employment Participation, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery, Minister Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water, Minister Greg Combet and Minister for Defense Personnel, Materiel and Science and the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary for Employment Jason Clare.

MP’s enthusiastically took on the challenge of Try ‘a Trade and did exceptionally well with the various tools on hand. While holding oxy torches and maneuvering mortar on a trowel, our MP’s also gained some insights into new sustainability practices used in each of the trades and how that has impacted the industry and the consumer. Our Skillaroos also imparted some useful sustainability tips that can be easily applied in every Australian home.

By WorldSkills Calgary 2009

It took four years to plan, one week to run and now it’s over - except for the final reporting.

WorldSkills Calgary 2009 was, in the words of WorldSkills International President Jack Dusseldorp, the “best Competition ever”. 850 Competitors and thousands of Delegates from around the world descended on Calgary, Alberta, Canada for one magical week in September. During their time here, they toured the world-renowned Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park, they cheered as they proudly crossed the Grandstand stage at the Opening Ceremony, they competed in four days of intense competition, they laughed and danced at the City of Calgary WorldSkills Cultural Celebration at Olympic Plaza, they enjoyed superb weather throughout and they shed a tear and saluted their new-found friends at the emotional Closing Ceremony and Farewell Party. All in all, it was truly an event to remember.

By WorldSkills International

Oman joins WorldSkills as its 51st Member
WorldSkills International (WSI) is pleased to announce its 51st Member to the Movement; The Sultanate of Oman. WSI’s newest Official Delegate is Mr Haji Faqir Mohamed Al Bulushi and the Technical Delegate is Mr Khamis Hamed Mohammed Al Hadhrami. At the General Assembly during the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada, the Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Manpower was officially ratified as WSI’s 51st Member.

SkillsTurkey joins WorldSkills as its 52nd Member
SkillsTurkey is now officially the Member Organisation representing Turkey in WorldSkills International (WSI). We would also like to welcome our new colleagues, Official Delegate Mrs Ayse Sever and Technical Delegate Prof. Dr Suleyman Tekeli. 

WorldSkills TV produced more than 150 videos about the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary. Executive Producer, Peter Sjoquist from The Australian Channel, turns the cameras on his Calgary production office. Peter introduces the team that created the videos in the week of competition at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

WorldSkillsTV Reporters, Courtney and Braden, take a trip up to SAIT to check out the Competitors Village. This is the first time all Competitors from around the world have had a communal place to call home. Courtney talks to multiple countries and the verdict is the same, being able to stay near other Competitors is fun and a great learning opportunity. SAIT says that WorldSkills Competitions show young people what trades have to offer.

WorldSkills TV Host Alesia Fieldberg visits various Try-a-Skill stations at Skill City at the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary to show us all the great things students can check out.

Richard Walker and Aidan Jones discuss collaborating and the hand-over of the WorldSkills flag. Calgary has done a fantastic job in 2009 leaving behind a legacy in education to the youth of Calgary and providing the best young skilled workers in the world with a chance to highlight their talents on the world stage. London is keen to learn from WorldSkills Calgary 2009 and put on an equally successful Competition in 2011.

Watch this video and more on WorldSkills TV.