Reflections from the Chairs of the Strategy and Technical Committees

Strategy Committee Update

At the recent General Assembly in Jeju the new chair of the Strategy Committee; Jos de Goey shared his vision on the chaotic economic development in the world and the consequences this has for young people.

"A big part of the world faces multiple challenges such as addressing the continued jobs crises and declining prospects for economic growth. What is worrying is that young people especially are suffering which is not only harmful for economic growth prospects but a person without a working life lacks personal growth and fulfilment. Not to mention the social and personal consequences. To tackle this issue, a number of governments have increased their investment in vocational education and training (VET). Thankfully not every country is having the same problems, some are still doing very well however investments in VET should not be neglected. Statistics have shown that in an economic downfall, countries with a strong VET-structure have lower unemployment rates, especially relating to young people."

Skills competitions contribute to the development of VET by promoting excellence and raising the attractiveness. In Jeju, during several working group sessions the delegates discussed the Action Plan 2012-2015. The outcomes of these discussions gives direction to the organization around the activities to be prioritized in the coming months and years and commitment for more investment in marketingPR and communication is high on the agenda. Sharing and gathering good practices which can inspire and motivate other WorldSkills Members plays an important role in this and the WorldSkills Foundation will also play a crucial role here. The meeting ended by accepting the conclusions unanimously.

Jos de Goey

Technical Committee Update

The 2012 WorldSkills General Assembly saw the Technical Committee meet under the lead of John Shiel, Chair and Stefan Praschl, Vice Chair for the first time. After a few warm welcomes and acknowledgement of the previous chairs, the new Technical Committee was underway. Embracing the mood of change, the Delegates were keen to move forward and make progress to improve the technical aspects of the Competition.

A series of pro-active group work sessions led to the gathering of valuable information and helped to ensure that all Delegates’ voices were heard. Several proposals were put forward for the 42nd WorldSkills Competition in Leipzig and all were overwhelming agreed by Delegates. Assessment was a particular focus of the sessions and changes to both objective and subjective marking will be seen in Leipzig.

The updated Competition Rules with pilot projects were agreed, recommended and ratified in readiness for WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. The Technical Committee is focused on achieving the recommendations of the quality auditor and marking schemes advisor. They are also committed to implementing the skill competitions part of the 2012-2015 Action Plan. All proposals were overwhelmingly endorsed by the Technical Committee and a real vibe of involvement from all was evident. At the close of the meetings, the Technical Delegates left with a clear understanding of all the agreements and the direction of travel for the Committee in the months ahead.

John Shiel