The WorldSkills General Assembly Jeju 2012 has come to a close and what a productive and informative GA it was! Hosted in Jeju, A very large thank you goes out to the host of the event, Human Resources Development Korea for making WorldSkills International delegates feel so welcome.

Beginning with the Welcome dinner at the breath taking Spirited Garden, to the Farewell Dinner on the grounds of the Shilla Jeju Hotel, with all of the meetings in between, delegates both worked hard and enjoyed the Korean hospitality that was offered to everyone. Thank you to all who attended and contributed. All in all, the WorldSkills General Assembly Jeju 2012 was truly an awesome event!

Sri Lanka and Russia join WorldSkills International

Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation are the latest countries to join WorldSkills International, the organization that represents the importance of skills to the global economy.

The two countries had their membership ratified by the other WorldSkills Members at the WorldSkills International General Assembly held in Jeju in May 2012. Both countries will be able to compete at WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, in Germany between 2 and 7 July.

Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills International said:

“I am delighted that Sri Lanka and The Russian Federation have joined WorldSkills International. Their membership will add significant value to WorldSkills International and should prove to be of long term benefit to them as they further develop their skills infrastructure and skills competitions strategy.”

“With Russia coming on board, WorldSkills International now has in membership all the countries of the G20 as well as a country with a diverse population spread over 5 time zones and with a large and diverse workforce. Sri Lanka in contrast brings into membership a much smaller workforce but one in the economically important South Asia region with that workforce being developed for both their domestic market and for those nationals that work in many other countries across the world.”

Widening participation of WorldSkills around the world is a key focus for WorldSkills International over the next three years. The organization aims to have 70 Members by 2015.

Jos de Goey voted as new Vice President Strategy for WorldSkills International

Dutch born Jos de Goey has been voted as the new Vice President Strategy at the 2012 WorldSkills General Assembly.

Mr de Goey, who is also Managing Director of Skills Netherlands and President of WorldSkills Europe has been involved with WorldSkills since 2000. He was a key player in the development and implementation of WorldSkills Europe, founded in 2007, which brought together 29 European countries to promote vocational skills, through skills competitions.

Brazil ratified as host country for WorldSkills 2015

Brazil has been ratified by the WorldSkills International Members as the host for the WorldSkills Competition being held in 2015. The event will be held at the Anhembi Convention Centre São Paulo, Brazil 10-16 August 2015.

Action Plan Agreed

Members of WorldSkills International agreed their 2012-2015 Action Plan to achieve the goals set out in the WorldSkills Vision 2020 ratified by the General Assembly October 2010. The Action Plan focuses on improving the Competition experience, developing more partnerships and expanding the reach of the WorldSkills brand in order to promote the WorldSkills mission of gaining a greater appreciation of skills around the world.

Switzerland next venue for WorldSkills 2014 General Assembly

Lucerne, Switzerland has been voted as the venue for the WorldSkills General Assembly 12-18 September 2014. Switzerland has a strong track record for vocational training and provides many of their young people with a solid basis for lifelong learning.

WorldSkills Champions Shape the Future for WorldSkills International

Champions from 12 WorldSkills Member countries gathered in Jeju, Korea for the WorldSkills Youth Forum 2012. Keen to make a difference for the organization that has ‘changed their life’, members of the Youth Forum put forward a series of proposals aimed at improving the overall WorldSkills experience. Several suggestions for enhancing the Competition, sharing success stories about both Vocational Education and Training and the WorldSkills organization and the importance of creating a global alumni network were presented. Their work over the five days focused on the WorldSkills Vision 2020 and the Action Plan 2012-2015 and they came up with many ideas to implement practical and lasting improvements.

WorldSkills International and WorldSkills Korea Make Declaration in Jeju

The President of WorldSkills International signed an official declaration with WorldSkills Korea in Jeju as its Members reconfirmed their commitment to delivering the Vision 2020 and ratified the Action Plan 2012-2015. A leading country in vocational education in Korea.