Mark Callaghan’s Welcome

Dear ,

With just over five weeks to go before they board a plane for Japan and the 39th WorldSkills Competition, the spotlight is well and truly on the Skillaroos. Together with their experts, local trainers and mentors they are fine-tuning their skills and finalising preparations after twelve months of dedication and hard work.

While they alone will be on the competition floor in Shizuoka they all know that they will have a tremendous amount of support behind them - family, friends, trainers, employers, training organisations, WSA regions, government and industry.

The Skillaroos will come together on the 8th of November in Hobart at the Australian Training Awards. From there they head to Sydney for a farewell function on the 9th before flying out to Japan on the 10th of November. This is the culmination of a long journey from the WorldSkills Australia Regional competitions – one in which their commitment to skills excellence has never wavered.

And speaking of the Regional competitions, these are continuing across Australia with most regions recording an increase in categories and competitor numbers. I would like to pass on a huge thank you to the regional committees and those responsible for organising and staging the Regional competitions. Who knows, you may be unearthing the next Skillaroo.

The 2007 WorldSkills Regional competitions have been a success across all 30 WSA regions.

The Sydney region recently held the Signcraft competition on September 3rd at Ultimo campus. The projects were to be completed over 8 hours and were designed to simulate the National Competition as close as possible including colour matching, vinyl application and sign writing techniques. The eight regional competitors were all first year apprentices from various employers across Sydney.

Congratulations to the following medallists:

1st: Blake Conyers (The Sign Centre)
2nd: Nathan Tamblyn (John Hill Signs)
3rd: Justin Burdus (GDK Signs)
3rd: Daniel Palacious (Ricci Signs)

Despite the regional competitions officially finishing in November there is still plenty of action to come. October will see a large number of competition categories in Tasmania, Sydney, Sydney West and Melbourne regions.

Canberra region’s main event to look out for is on the 26th October where competitors will vie for a place within 29 categories - a dramatic increase since the previous regionals which was host to 17 categories. This is a great sign of growth across WSA’s regions and indicative of the increased recognition of skills excellence.

If you have any regional competition stories please contact Sarah at slarsen@worldskills.org.au.

Laurie Gilbey has announced his retirement as Chair of WorldSkills Australia’s Illawarra region after 6 years of service in this role. Laurie has been employed at TAFE NSW and will conclude his roles as of this month. Illawarra region’s Troy Everett has written a small summary on Laurie’s contribution to WorldSkills Australia…

Through his astute management and passionate support, the promotion of skills excellence through competition has gone from strength to strength in the Illawarra region.  A good indication of the affect Laurie has had is shown by the fact that when he first came to the helm, the region consisted of 8 to 10 competitions and in his tenure this has grown to a healthy 20+ competitions.

At every national competition Laurie has ensured that the team and the team leaders have an abundance of support to do their best for the region and enjoy an experience of a lifetime. The competitors have often affectionately dubbed him “Lozza” during the national campaigns to signify that he is a part of the team.

All the people in the WorldSkills Australia family, namely the Illawarra region would like to wish Laurie the very best for the future and sincerely thank him for all the hard work and leadership he has provided over the years.

With only a month remaining members of the Skillaroos are getting anxious and excited; some are cramming more training time while others are confident and ready to go. Each competitor has had to prepare a toolkit for the competition which is now on its way to Japan; several competitors have recently returned from their last training trips, either overseas or across the country and now the entire team is preparing to embark on the long awaited journey. Within the past year the Skillaroos have been recognised for their achievements with a number of awards, they’ve travelled abroad to meet various experts and contacts and sacrificed their social lives to hours of intensive training - all for the 4 days in November. Thanks to the experts who have provided the following updates.

Skillaroos Training and Updates

Congratulations to John Rudge (Electrical Installation) who was a finalist for the Apprentice of the Year award at the NSW Training Awards. The Awards dinner was held on 13th September at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.  

Candice Faranda (Ladies’ and Men’s Hairdressing) travelled from Perth to Sydney for a week to train with expert Donna DeMaria from 13th-18th September. This month her employers at Hairloom have arranged for an industry expert from France to visit and train Candice. Candice is also continuing to train one full day a week which can sometimes be a 10 hour session.

Joel Drew (Jewellery), who is in regular contact with expert Andrew Rose, has also been training with a past competitor from 20 years ago. Kevin Hitchin was able to provide very useful information drawn from experience and the pair has agreed to arrange another meeting soon.

Rohan Blythe and Simon Buchanan (Landscape Gardening) are meeting every Saturday to train. As a pair they will have to fine tune their communication to work together. From 22nd Aug – 2nd Sept they worked with Simon’s employer from Total Landscape Construction at the RACV Home Show and Garden Expo in Melbourne to build a Japanese garden display – a lucky coincidence! The boys have recently returned from Sydney to complete their project with expert, John Monty, at Ryde TAFE.

Mark Williams (Welding) has been staying with expert Paul Condran to train with past international competitors, Michael Whalan (2003 St Gallen) and Jeremy Gransden (2005 Helsinki gold medallist). Throughout September Mark endured very long days of training from 8am to 9.30pm and completed a mock competition with the international New Zealand competitor. Mark finished with a good result at 8 weeks to go and Paul believes he “knows where he is missing the marks which can put him up amongst the medals.” Mark has now returned home to Dubbo to train with his mentor Ralph Felthman with the help of Jeremy Gransden.

Josh Morsillo, Sam Pop and Matt Nunn (Manufacturing Team Challenge) visited their expert Geoff Ball at his home in Sydney from 14th – 16th September. The trio did a complete run through of the competition project, which will also test their teamwork skills. This month in Sydney will be the final chance for the MTC team to train together but all three are confident.

Shareena Sloan (Painting and Decorating) and her expert Ian Vickery have been training together in Newcastle from 3rd-7th September for a mock competition. They have been working with the same paint that will be used in Japan and had to ensure it was the right consistency. Ian also made sure Shareena was practising with the right temperature and humidity to be extra prepared.

Daniel Hogarth (Plumbing) is training three nights a week with experts and has a work bench set up at home where he fits in extra practice at nights and on weekends. He was recently a judge for the regional competition and said it was a great way to learn more about how the marking worked. Daniel is shocked by how fast the competition has approached and says he is currently “eating, living and breathing training.

Stuart Aisbett (Car Painting) has a busy training schedule ahead of him for the remaining month. He has just returned from Newcastle where he had three days of training with his expert Brian Johnson from 24th 26th. Upon his return home he will be a judge for the vehicle painting category at the Melbourne regional competition from 4-5 October followed by a week long session with Rob Green from Standox, Stuart’s major sponsor.

John Alebakis (Wall and Floor Tiling) is busy training three nights a week and on Sundays while managing his own business. His expert, Ron Barrett, has brought him equipment from TAFE so he can continue training at home in his spare time. While this doesn’t leave much time for a social life John is happy with his own progress.

IT competitors, Matthew Ryan (Web Design) and Michael Kirkwood-Smith (IT/Software Applications) are preparing themselves for not only the skill challenge, but also the physical challenge of an International competition. The pair has been supported by fitness club Fitness First in Pennant Hills to help improve their health and stamina for the four arduous days of competition. Thanks to Fitness First and in particular General Manager, Vince Bettison.

Suwanna Rattananikom (Cooking) went to Tokyo in August for a two week period to gain work experience at the Four Seasons Hotel – her current employer in Sydney. This was very advantageous to her training program as she became familiar with the sight, feel and taste of local produce in preparation for the ingredients at the International Competition. Suwanna’s strict training schedule of 3 sessions a week since the beginning of the year has more recently increased to 5 sessions a week. This month Suwanna is scheduled for a mock international competition for Northern Sydney Institute competitors at Ryde College – a great opportunity to test the project, schedules and mental and physical demands for the final time. 

Kim Harrison (Graphic Design Technology) and her expert Jane Stokie recently returned from training in Taiwan from 1st – 8th September. Jane has provided the following story on their trip.

Attention Skillaroos representing the building and construction industries: read about the Ern MacDonald Fellowship (WorldSkills Encouraging Excellence section) to find out about studying or working overseas and receiving $5000 spending money.

On Thursday 20th September, WorldSkills Australia presented the team uniform the Skillaroos from Sydney. WorldSkills Australia Technical Delegate has provided the following story.

A night of Skillaroos celebration

The 20th of September was another night of Skillaroos celebration. Members of the 2007 Skillaroos team from Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra were awarded with their Australian uniforms.

The night was held at Ryde TAFE in the Hospitality section. Parents, supporters, sponsors and friends were on hand to witness our amazing young champions proudly receive their uniforms.

Jeanette Allan, WorldSkills Australia Chair and Jarrad Langdon, 2005 International Gold medal winner presented the competitors with their travel kits which included: Australian uniform, casual jacket and shirts and travel bag and back pack.

Competitors awarded were:

Suwanna Rattananikom – Cooking
Sarah Rowsell – Restaurant Service
Mark Williams – Welding
Daniel Hogarth – Plumbing
Luke Gallagher – Autobody Repair
Tim Hambly – Bricklaying
Joshua Morsillo – Manufacturing Team Challenge
Matthew Ryan – Web Design
Michael Kirkwood-Smith – IT Software Applications

Also our Melbourne based Landscapers Rohan and Simon were in Sydney training and were presented with their casual shirts and gifts. The boys presented Jeanette Allan with her uniform.

Next was the presentation of our unsung heroes, Team Australia Experts. Father figurers of Australian Experts Noel Munkman and Steve Hornery received their uniforms and along with WorldSkills Australia CEO Mark Callaghan presented the Experts uniforms:

Geoff Ball – Manufacturing Team Challenge
Caroline Hawkins – IT Software Applications
Tom Vukelic – Autobody Repair
Paul Condran – Welding
Troy Everett – Bricklaying
Brigitte Collins – Restaurant Service
John Monty – Landscape Gardening
Grant Stewart – Plumbing
John Kuilart – Refrigeration
Brain Johnson – Car Painting
Marion Fitzpatrick – Cooking
Ron Barrett – Wall and Floor Tiling
David Summerville – Web Design

Unfortunately Donna DeMaria – Hairdressing and Ian Vickery – Painting and Decorating were unable to attend.

All Team Australia members received a great round of applause. It was a unique opportunity for all the Skillaroos to be formally awarded the proud honour of receiving their Australian uniforms in front of family and friends.

It was truly a night of celebration with supporters, family and friends and team members mixing together and enjoying the success and hard work of preparing an international team.

Thanks to Marion Fitzpatrick, Brigitte Collins and John Monty for organising the evening and special thanks to Kevin Harris, Director, TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute and Elizabeth Smith, College Director, Ryde TAFE for hosting the celebration.

WorldSkills Australia will be holding a National Plastering Competition from 16th – 19th October at Hilton on the Park in Melbourne.

The Plastering category is a unique WorldSkills field because it runs national competitions every year – all other WorldSkills national categories operate on a biennial basis continuing from the regional level.

The competition will be completed over three days by seven teams of two from Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales and New Zealand.

The event will be held in conjunction with the 62nd National Conference for the Association of Wall and Ceiling Industries of Australia and New Zealand. Attendees will be able to see the future of their industry benchmark the training standards and vie for a gold, silver or bronze medal. Successful competitors may be eligible to receive an international scholarship to travel and work overseas as part of WorldSkills Australia’s pathways with BBM (Big Brother Movement) and AOF (Australian Overseas Foundation). Visit www.fwcianz.com for details.

WorldSkills Australia will soon be playing in your living room after the completion of a new marketing DVD. The DVD, co-produced by WorldSkills Australia and Catalyst, is designed to inform and inspire a wide audience of potential sponsors, competitors, volunteers and stakeholders. The DVD will also be distributed in time for the upcoming 2008 National Competition to further enhance public awareness and corporate interest.

Distribution will be specifically for educational groups, training providers and selected companies at the discretion of WorldSkills Australia.

Nineteen WorldSkills Australia national competitors were awarded BBM scholarships for their performance at the 2006 National Competition. The nineteen BBM recipients of 2007 were presented on Friday 3rd August and embarked on their journey to the UK the following day for a 2 week leadership course and the freedom to travel and find placement. Team Leader Craig Ramstadius was with them for the entirety of the course and brought home some fantastic memories of the young Australians develop and grow…

I was privileged to lead a very talented group of 19 young Aussies to the UK this August to participate in a leadership course with a company called Mission Performance! They are a collection of amazing people that have conquered some extraordinary feats.

We had the honour of being instructed by Dave Pierce who lead and conquered Everest in 2003 and his team also performed the highest ever rescue of two climbers left to perish on the mountain.

Our Aussie team rose to the challenge and participated in mountain biking, high ropes course, rock climbing, sailing 38ft yachts, climbing the peaks of mount Snowden in Wales and camped in its shadows, challenging not only their physical strengths but also rising to the mental challenge of each having to lead the team through demanding situations. We jumped of cliffs into the ocean and I was very proud to witness our team rise to every challenge put in front of them.

Every team member contributed and excelled at their chance of leading the group. The personal growth I witnessed and the fun and laughter we shared contributed to this being the best team I have ever been involved with.

Our team was honoured to be given the opportunity to share in the adventure with Dave, who conquered Everest, Rob Lewis, winner of the North Pole race and mission performance director and the round the world yacht captains, Will and Mannly.

To WorldSkills and BBM, thank you. This team were great ambassadors for our youth of Australia. I shared some of the best WorldSkills moments with this team and I have enjoyed many over the years. To our Skillaroos, it’s ok to have butterflies, just make sure by the time you get to Japan they are flying in formation! Good luck, 'kampai'!

Ern MacDonald Fellowship
Can you imagine improving your building skills in the shadow of the London eye; learning plumbing skills from a master in the Swiss Alps; or developing your electrical skills in the bright lights of Times Square? If you are competing at the International Competition in a building and construction category then you can apply for the Ern MacDonald Fellowship! Visit the website to download the application form and receive more info.

WorldSkills Champions Exchange
The WorldSkills Champions Exchange is a first-class skills exchange program that offers high quality placements for world-class skills professionals.

Through the exchange WorldSkills International is offering former WorldSkills Competition competitors the chance to learn more about their skill on a global scale, whilst being mentored by a WorldSkills endorsed employer, for 6 - 18 months in another Member country / region.

In Australia’s infancy as an active member country we have already seen several WorldSkills champions apply as either an exchange worker or host. Fluid Power national 2006 gold medallist, David Thomas, is currently in Liechtenstein with a host family who say that he is a ‘rare jewel’ among the young people they’ve met. Andrew Whalan, 2003 international plumbing competitor, is currently finalising his visa details to work in Ireland from January. Sarah Jones, 2003 international graphic design gold medallist, is also finalising her visa to commence placement late November in Belgium. 

To find out about this exciting opportunity visit www.worldskillschampions.com or contact Mikaeli Costello at Mikaeli.Costello@worldskills.org.  

AYAD – Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development
The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) Program places 400 skilled young Australians (aged 18-30) per year, on volunteer assignments of 3-12 months in developing countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region. James Allsop worked with local communities in Papua New Guinea to build training centres through AYAD.

For more information on the Program please contact us on:
Freecall (Australia): 1800 225 592  Email: apo@austraining.com.au  Website: www.ayad.com.au

Please note this is only a selection of WorldSkills events for September. For more dates and information visit the WorldSkills website.

WorldSkills Australia would like to acknowledge the support of all our sponsors and the many volunteers who contribute to the success of skill development in Australia. For sponsorship information and opportunities contact Catherine Huntley, Sponsorship Coordinator, at chuntley@worldskills.org.au.

The early 1950’s marked the beginning of Standox, the great premium brand in vehicle refinishing. Today, Standox products are recognised for their proven quality and are used throughout the world.

Standox was first introduced into the Australian Market in 1985, and later expanded into New Zealand. Its success to date spans from the brand’s commitment to its customers, providing them with superior technology, specialist advice and ongoing support.

In 2001, Standox joined Dupont Performance Coatings (DPC), a division of DuPont, a move that ensures Standox will continue to offer state of the art refinish systems in the new millennium.

Today, Standox provides a comprehensive range of service for today's Bodyshop. From environmentally friendly refinish products such as Standohyd Waterborne basecoats and VOC compliant clearcoats, to paintshop management programmes all with the help of a dedicated and friendly team who specialise in providing the Bodyshop with the solutions they really need.

The Standox "Standohyd" waterborne refinish paint system has been chosen as the material to be used at this years WorldSkills vehicle painting competition. Standox is a proud and valued supporter of the Car Painting category and international competitor Stuart Aisbett.

If changes have been made to upcoming events please notify Heather Knights, Events Coordinator, at hknights@worldskills.org.au or (03) 9249 1000.

If you would like to submit information or have an article considered for inclusion in the SkillNews please contact Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Sarah Larsen, at slarsen@worldskills.org.au. Keep in touch with the WSA community and keep us up to date!