50 Days To Go

Australia’s skill and trade elite prepare for National showcase

Dear WorldSkills Supporter,

While our nation’s sporting elite are busy swimming, running and cycling their way to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, another group of young elites are cutting, welding and sawing their way to Australia’s so-called ‘Skill Olympics’.

Five hundred young trade and skill technicians are now busily preparing for the WorldSkills Australia National Competition, Australia’s biennial showcase of skills and trades excellence, to be held this year at Darling Harbour from 11 to 13 July.

With just 50 days to go, competitors are fine-tuning their skills in a range of categories, from welding and joinery to floristry and beauty therapy, as they vie for the title of ‘Australian National Champion’ in their chosen trade.

These are the finest young ambassadors for careers in skills and trades in the country. This national competition will showcase their incredible discipline and talents while clearly demonstrating that striving toward a skills-based career is a rewarding first choice career option for many young people.

“The WorldSkills competitions show the rest of the country what remarkable talent we have here and prove that the future of skills and trades is worth investing in,” WorldSkills Australia CEO Mark Callaghan said.

“In 20 years of International Competition, WorldSkills Australia has consistently ranked in the top 10 performing counties in the world. Today, we are ranked fifth in the world and are the best performing English-speaking nation, thanks to some of our brightest young people, educators, and support from industries in skills and trades,” Mr Callaghan said.

The National Competition is expected to attract more than 60,000 visitors, as young people, teachers and families flock to see scissors, sparks, and saws in action at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Winners of the National Competition will be announced at a Presentation Ceremony at The State Theatre, Sydney on 14 July. The Evatt Shield, currently held by Tasmania, will be awarded to the WorldSkills Australia Region that has shown the most outstanding performance.

Those who qualify at the Nationals Competition may then be selected for the Australian team, ‘The Skillaroos’, to defend the country’s fifth place world ranking at the WorldSkills International Competition in Calgary, Canada, next year.

National medallists can also apply for prestigious scholarships, provided through WorldSkills International Pathways, enabling them to travel and work overseas.

WorldSkills Australia is an independent not-for-profit organisation formed 27 years ago, to promote the status and awareness of trade and skill-based careers. WorldSkills Australia celebrates skills excellence through a series of regional, national and international competitions.

For more information visit www.worldskills.org.au