Mark Callaghan’s Welcome

Dear WorldSkills Supporter,

Happy New Year and welcome to the first SkillNews for 2012. It is already shaping up as a big year for WorldSkills Australia (WSA) and for skills in general in Australia. While we are all setting about trying to maintain those resolutions we set a couple of weeks ago, WSA resolves to keep skills firmly in the spotlight.

The spotlight will obviously be brightest over the three days of the 2012 WSA National Competition however other important events on the WSA calendar this year include the WorldSkills International General Assembly and Youth Forum in Jeju, Korea, the WSA Regional Workshop and the WSA Youth Forum. You can find out more about these events below.

While many of you in the WSA regions are enjoying a relaxing break following a busy year convening Regional competitions, thoughts will obviously soon turn to the preparation of teams for the 2012 WSA National Competition. Late last year (16 December) I was privileged to attend the WA Regional medal presentation breakfast. From the moment I walked into the venue at the Burswood Entertainment Complex I was blown away by the scale and professionalism of the event. Approximately 450 guests (competitors, trainers, employers and family) sat down for breakfast and heard from the Hon. Peter Collier (Minister for Training & Workforce Development) before medals were presented in VET in Schools and Open categories. The event concluded with the naming of a training squad for the 2012 National Competition. Congratulations to Fiona Johnson and all involved in staging this event and, to all other regions, you better watch out – the West are coming.

I look forward to catching up with you all this year.

2012 WorldSkills Australia Refrigeration
National Competition, Melbourne
This year the WSA Refrigeration National Competition will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of ARBS, the Air Conditioning and Building Services Trade Exhibition.
Click here for more information

2012 WorldSkills General Assembly,
Leaders Forum and Youth Forum
WorldSkills representatives from all around the world will converge in Jeju, Korea from May 13 - 20 for the annual General Assembly. The Assembly will coincide with the WorldSkills Leaders Forum and Youth Forum. For more information about the event visit the 2012 WorldSkills General Assembly website.

2012 WorldSkills Australia National Competition, Sydney
The WorldSkills Australia National Competition will be held at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park from August 30 to September 1, 2012. Click here for more information

Other events in 2012

WorldSkills Australia Regional Workshop
WorldSkills Australia Youth Forum

By Fiona Johnson, WA WorldSkills Regional Manager

For many people, the second week in December signals the start of the wind-down to the holiday break, but in Western Australia (WA), Friday 16th was one of the busiest days in the 2011 WA WorldSkills calendar.

Over 450 invited guests arrived bright and early at the Burswood Grand Ballroom for the Medal Presentation and breakfast, which celebrated the achievements of competitors from four regions across the state.

Read the full article here

Here are two ways you can get involved in the
WSA National Competition:

Become a sponsor
WorldSkills Australia actively seeks sponsors who are interested in the development of the Australia's youth, education, training and skills. The benefits of supporting WorldSkills Australia can include exclusivity from direct competitors, high profile branding at events, networking opportunities and much more.
Find out how to become a sponsor

Become a volunteer
Join the WorldSkills Australia ‘family’ of volunteers today.  Volunteers can partake in many roles including category project designers, judges, competition coordinators, convenors and more.
Register as a volunteer

WorldSkills Australia is seeking Expressions of Interest from people wishing to pursue the voluntary role as Category Judge at the 2012 National Competition. We encourage interest from people equipped with the following essential criteria:

• Be a current active participant in 2011 regional competitions as a judge or convenor
• Have current trade/industry involvement
• Have knowledge of national industry standards and training packages
• High level communication skills

Please complete the Expression of Interest form and return to WorldSkills Australia no later than January 23, 2012.

Looking to develop your skills? Interested in an interstate or overseas experience? Do you want to work for a leading organisation? Are you a medallist from the 2010 WSA National Competition in a nominated Building and Construction category? Would a few thousand dollars help you to achieve your goals?

Then apply for the 2012 Ern Macdonald Fellowship!

Download the application form to find out more or visit the website

Due to the recent appointment of the current Team Australia Technical Delegate to the Board of WorldSkills International (WSI), WorldSkills Australia (WSA) is seeking to appoint a Technical Delegate to represent WSA in relevant matters at WSI forums and events and to be an integral member of Team Australia in the lead up to and during the 42nd WorldSkills Competition to be held in Leipzig, Germany in July 2013.

Applicants must have:

• A sound knowledge of WSA
• Extensive experience at both National and International levels of competition
• A strong technical background, preferably within the VET sector

Download the full position description

Written applications for the position outlining your experience and addressing the essential requirements in the position description, together with a current CV, should be forwarded to the CEO no later than Monday 30 January 2012.

WorldSkills Australia
Attention: Mark Callaghan
PO Box 4638
Melbourne VIC 3001

This newsletter is about the WorldSkills Australia community, so we want to hear from you.
If you would like to spread your news across Australia contact:
Ana Raica (araica@worldskills.org.au) at the National Office.