Mark Callaghan’s Welcome

Dear WorldSkills Supporter,

As you all know the cycle of WorldSkills competitions is ongoing. Following the recent National competition in Brisbane, focus has shifted to the 2011 International Competition in London as well as, much closer to home, the 2011 round of Regional Competitions. In the lead up to the commencement of the 2011 round of Regional Competitions, WorldSkills Australia will be coordinating a number of important meetings including our biannual Regional Workshop as well as a series of Project Design Workshops. Information on both meetings will be distributed in the coming weeks. However I wanted to urge those of you out there who are interested in being involved in the design of projects for the next Regional and National competitions to contact the WSA National office. It is important that we continually review and update our competition projects in line with training and industry standards and as such we are looking for representatives across all categories to assist us with this process.

In addition to these meetings, WorldSkills Australia, following the lead taken by WorldSkills International, will host an inaugural WSA Youth Forum in conjunction with the WSA Regional Workshop. The WSA Youth Forum will involve past competitors from all WSA regions and will be a series of ‘brainstorming’ and discussion sessions aimed at providing one of our key stakeholder groups with a voice in an attempt to improve the overall WorldSkills experience. We are looking forward to working with our first group of Youth Forum delegates and we will provide updates in future Skill News issues.

For the first time in WorldSkills Australia’s history we are bringing past
WorldSkills Competitors together for a Youth Forum.

The Inaugural WorldSkills Australia Youth Forum 2010 to be held in Adelaide from 21st – 24th October 2010 will allow WorldSkills Australia Champions to help shape the future of WorldSkills Australia.

We hope that the Youth Forum will inspire past WSA competitors to openly discuss skill-related issues and share their views on how to improve the Competition and the image of vocational education & training and how to best market our Competitions.

Forum attendees will share, debate and workshop ideas, build friendships, network, and benefit from exchange with fellow WorldSkills Australia Champions.

The Youth Forum ideas and suggestions will be presented to the WSA Board of Directors.

For further information please contact Josie D’Arino, National Marketing & Communications Manager contact 03 9249 1000 jdarino@worldskills.org.au

2007 Skillaroos, Candice Faranda and Courtney Barton
at the WSI Youth Forum, Vienna 2008

WorldSkills Australia is in the final stages of the selection process for the next crop of Skillaroos who will represent Australia at the 41st WorldSkills International Competition in London in October 2011. An extensive consultation process has been undertaken with WorldSkills Australia considering feedback from category judges, team leaders and regional personnel in an attempt to pick the strongest team possible. A Skillaroos ‘train on’ squad will be announced in early September with a formal team announcement due to be made in November 2010.

Team Australia Skillaroos At The 2009 Internationals Presentation Ceremony

Preparations for the 41st WorldSkills Competition in London are, of course, well underway. The WorldSkills London 2011 Organising Committee and WorldSkills International are working in close partnership with a goal of building on the success of previous competitions. Competition will be held over 4 days from the 5th of October through to the 8th of October - just a year before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For more information please visit the WorldSkills London 2011 website.

WorldSkills Australia congratulates the WorldSkills Queensland team, Tony Wright, Amy Chapman, Eric Davis, Lauren Torrens and Gordon Elledge, for winning the SkillsTech Australia Team Award for their contribution in delivering the 2010 WorldSkills Australia National Competition.

WorldSkills Australia would like to thank the Queensland office for their support in helping to deliver the WorldSkills Australia National Competition, Brisbane 2010.  Without the support of this team the 2010 WorldSkills Australia National Competition would not have been the success that it was.

Tony Wright, Amy Chapman, Eric Davis, Lauren Torrens and Gordon Elledge.

Students had the chance to try their hand at a trade and explore hundreds of different occupations and career options at the annual Canberra Careers Market held at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.

The Market, which is jointly presented by the ACT Department of Education and Training (DET) and Rotary Club of Canberra City, is the largest event of its type in Canberra and the Southern NSW region and provides an opportunity for young people to learn more about post-school options.

More than 100 exhibitors representing a range of industries such as medicine, health, fitness and beauty, social science, information technology, business, communication, agriculture, veterinary science, aviation, defence and policing were involved this year.

The popular ‘Try a Trade’ supported by WorldSkills Australia provided visitors an opportunity to have a hands-on and fun experience in trades such as cabinet making, hospitality, refrigeration, metal fabrication, and landscaping and talk with leaders in their trade as well as apprentices and teachers.

The ACT is preparing to convene their successful annual WorldSkills VET in Schools competitions. This year sees an increase in the number of industry categories increase to 6 from 4 in 2009. Participating industries are Automotive, General Construction, Business Administration, Hospitality Kitchen Operations, Hospitality Restaurant Service and Electrotechnology.

Industry partners work with schools to bring current industry practice into the training environment and also support in the judging of the competitions. External Registered Training Organisations also support the event by providing training facilities and judges.

Partnering organisations in 2010 are: The Canberra Institute of Technology, Regional Group Training, the Master Builders Association of the ACT, The Australian Computer Society, the Tourism Industry Council of the ACT, Electrogroup training, the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the ACT Department of Education and Training.

WorldSkills Australia VET in Schools competitions continue to develop and grow in ACT and provide an excellent opportunity for promoting the career options available through trade and skill based occupations.

Public and non-government schools will be invited to compete with categories convened for both year 11 and year 12 students.

Download an expression of interest form.

2010 AOF Scholarship - Who wants to travel and work overseas?

The Australian Overseas Foundation (AOF) provides scholarships to
travel and work overseas for Australians between the ages of 21 and
27 who have completed a trade apprenticeship or vocational traineeship
to Certificate Level Three.

Completed applications are to be forwarded to Michelle Hardy at the WSA National Office by 9th August 2010 as all applications will be submitted to AOF on behalf of WorldSkills Australia. Do not forward direct to AOF. Application forms can be found via the following link.

For further information on the AOF Scholarship please contact Michelle Hardy at the WSA National Office on 03 9249 1000 or mhardy@worldskills.org.au

Expressions of Interest are still open from people wishing to pursue the voluntary role of designing competition projects that are used in the 2011 regional and 2012 national competitions. Completed forms are to be forwarded to Michelle Hardy at the WSA National Office by 9th August 2010.

Download the application form.

Big Towel Company goes green with WorldSkills Australia.

At the recently held WorldSkills Australia National Competition, the Australian
owned organisation, The Big Towel Company, joined WorldSkills as a sponsor
of the hair and beauty categories with their environmentally sustainable range
of hand and spa towels.

Sharon Blain, international educator and company director said “how proud she
was being able to support such an important event in the hair and beauty calendar.
The Big Towel Company acknowledges that the apprentices of today are salon
owners of the future.”

Sharon Blain, a long time supporter and trainer of present and past WorldSkills competitors knows the youth of today believe strongly in the need to preserve the planet and the joint sponsorship was a perfect fit, Blain said.

WorldSkills are thrilled to have Big Towel Company sponsorship as they are conscious of the need to reduce the industries carbon foot print. Being able to supply environmentally sound products for the competitions is a step in the right direction for the competition and the industry at large.