Mark Callaghan’s Welcome

Dear WorldSkills Supporter,

Earlier in the month WorldSkills Australia announced the recipients of the prestigious 2009 BBM Scholarships. 17 of our country’s best ‘Skills Champions’ will depart Australia in June and will spend two weeks at the Mission Performance Leadership Challenge which has been designed to develop leadership, management and personal skills with the aim of producing more efficient and effective leaders and communicators. Following the Leadership Challenge many of the scholarship recipients will participate in a work experience program in the UK where it is hoped they will further the skills that they have learnt here in Australia. I look forward to following their progress during the Leadership Challenge, their work experience and upon their return to Australia.

With just on 150 days to go until the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, all of the Team Australia Skillaroos, together with their experts and mentors are honing the skills required to compete on the International stage. Team Australia will come together in May in Newcastle for the Mock Competition where all competitors will be faced with challenges that they can expect over 4 days of intense competition in Calgary in September. This will provide all category teams with a good opportunity to assess where they are in terms of their preparation.

The WorldSkills Australia regional competitions are, of course, where it all started for both the BBM Scholarship winners and the 2009 Team Australia Skillaroos. The first of the WSA Regional competitions for 2009 will be held in early April. The WSA competition experience not only provides opportunities for individual success but also helps Australia as a whole as competition is a vehicle for the promotion of skills and therefore an increase in productivity. I would like to wish all regional competitors the best of luck throughout the year as they take their first steps towards skills excellence and the opportunity of representing their country whether it be via a BBM Scholarship or as part of the 2011 Team Australia Skillaroos.

BBM Awards have enabled hundreds of talented young Australians to visit Britain to gain further experience in their chosen pursuits. BBM aims to provide career and skills support to the youth of Australia. The awards have become a highly respected and beneficial international pathway from WorldSkills Australia's National Competitions.

The first WorldSkills competitor to receive a BBM scholarship was in 1985. The scholarship was recognised as a valuable pathway for a National medallist because, like WorldSkills Australia, it focused on the aim of achieving global skills excellence.

In 2000 BBM Ltd became a prominent partner with WSA, and the two organisations jointly selected and granted scholarships to many young and skilled competitors upon the completion of each national competition.

Read more on the 2009 BBM Scholarship Winners

In its first year, The Big Skills Conference (BSC) brought together major national and international players with an interest in skills and training to debate issues and stimulate change in the Australian tertiary sector.

The Big Skills Conference was hosted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations on behalf of the Australian Government.

WorldSkills Australia actively participated in the Big Skills Conference by showcasing some of Australia's best skilled tradespeople. As part of their training, 8 of the 2009 Skillaroos worked on projects under the watchful eye of their experts. Delegates to the conference had the opportunity to watch the Skillaroos in action, working hard to complete their projects over three days whilst under the scrutiny of the 1,200+ attendees.

The WorldSkills Australia Skillaroos and their Experts who trained at the
Big Skills Conference are as follows:

• Beauty Therapy: Skillaroo Jessie Gladwell and Expert Sue Collins
• Hairdressing: Skillaroo Megan Kuhn and Expert Donna DeMaria
• Floristry: Skillaroo Stacey Pitman and Expert Allan Randell-Smith
• Printing and Graphic Arts: Skillaroo Melissa Guiney and Expert Sarah Jones
• Landscape Gardening: Skillaroos Michael Buist, Christopher Dimitriou and Expert Ben Meade
• Web Design: Skillaroo Daniel Jones and Expert Jarrad Langdon
• Bricklaying: Skillaroo Nigel Croke and Expert Troy Everett

2007 Floristry Skillaroo and Medallion of Excellence recipient Courtney Barton and 2005 WorldSkills International Gold Medal winner Jarrad Langdon attended the conference assisting in various capacities. Jarrad delivered a brilliant speech on his journey though training in web design, his apprenticeship, competing, teaching and starting his own business. He spoke in the session entitled ‘Access and Participation- Young People's Views and was on the panel for the Big Skills Quiz - a take on ABC TV show, Spicks and Specks.

View the full transcript of Jarrad's speech at The Big Skills Conference

Team Australia Skillaroos and their experts involved in The Big Skills Conference

There are places still available should you wish to join the WorldSkills International Supporters Tour. Please note costs on the WorldSkills Australia website are based on a minimum of 30 people on the tour. If this minimum number is not reached the costs will have to be revised.

For more information visit the WorldSkills Australia website or contact Sue at Travelworld, Email  sue@travelworldtoowoomba.com.au,  Phone 07 4632 9133.

A successful WorldSkills Australia Try’a Trade event was held as part of the National Careers and Employment Expo, Melbourne on March 28-29. Visitors to the Expo could try their hand in everything from Manufacturing, Painting and Decorating, Nursing and Hairdressing (which proved extremely popular with all ages). A highlight was having reality TV show, Big Brother runner up Rory assisting with the Bricklaying Try’a Trade. Rory helped those keen to learn to lay a brick and certainly drew a crowd given his appearance on Big Brother.

Congratulations to Shae Pante (16 years of age) who won the iPod Nano after trying three or more trades. She is interested in pursuing a career in hairdressing and says she will “put her iPod to good use as she doesn’t have one”.

View photos taken from the Melbourne Careers and Employment Expo.

Reality TV show, Big Brother runner up Rory
assisting with the Bricklaying Try’a Trade

The One School, One Country program provides young school students the opportunity to learn about another country's values, traditions and culture by increasing their international awareness. It will also provide students a look to their future and the possibility of a career in skilled trades or technologies.
Our Team Australia Skillaroos are involved in the program, partnering with Douglasdale Elementary School. Douglasdale School is a kindergarten to year 4 school with 385 students in the south of Calgary.

Recently at the WorldSkills Technical Committee meeting in Calgary, WSA Technical Delegate John Shiel had the pleasure of meeting Claire. Claire is 8 years old and is the Douglasdale School representative for the One School, One Country Program. Claire and her school mates will be learning all about Australia and our Skillaroos over the next 6 months. According to John, "Claire's face lit up with excitement when I presented her with a kangaroo, some small koalas, an Aussie song book and CD and an aboriginal art work."

Before competition commences, Team Australia Skillaroos will be bussed to Douglasdale Elementary School. The school has spent the past school year learning about Australia and the students are already excited to meet the Skillaroos.

In Calgary, there are 238 schools involved with OSOC. These schools are adapting their education curriculum to reflect WSC 2009 and the skilled trades and technologies. In addition, all involved schools are adopting a WorldSkills Member (in Australia's case - a Skillaroo) to specifically learn about during the school year. Many students are interested in the competitors and over the next 5 months will ask the Skillaroos questions about their skills, trade or technology via email.

Watch an introduction video on the One School, One Country program

WSA Technical Delegate John Shiel with
Claire from Douglasdale Elementary School.

The Brickies Training Updates
Expert: Troy Everett and Skillaroo Nigel Croke.

Following training at The Big Skills Conference, Nigel and Troy ventured off to the UK and Ireland. The first stop saw Nigel complete training in Derby, UK (arranged by a previous competitor, expert and team leader, Martin Jones). Nigel used this training as his warm up to the competition in Ireland. According to Troy, “Nigel adapted well and speedily constructed tasks we had set”. On the training facilities, Troy said “It was interesting to see that the skills and training facilities are very similar to ours.”

After saying goodbyes it was off to Ireland. Of Nigel’s performance at the competition in Ireland, Troy said “The three days of competition went quite well and Nigel comfortably finished what was a very difficult project. At the completion of competition Troy said “we received his marks and they are ok for now.” All in all it was a very successful trip and there were some good signs in Nigel’s performance.

International Flower and Garden Show, Royal Exhibition Centre, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne

The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show featured three WorldSkills Australia's Skillaroos, who used the Flower and Garden Show as an opportunity to train and prepare for the 40th WorldSkills International Competition in Calgary, Canada.

Florist, Stacey Pitman 20, and Landscape Gardening team, Michael Buist and Christopher Dimitriou both in their  20s, are members of the Team Australia ‘Skillaroos' who will be competing at the WorldSkills International Competition in Canada this September. Visitors to the garden show were able to view world-class standards of the Skillaroos before they represent Australia in Canada.
Each competitor has already proven their number one ranking in Australia in the Floristry and Landscape Gardening categories by winning gold medals at the WorldSkills National Competition held in Sydney in 2008.

Stacey has been training with international category expert, Alan Randell-Smith, to prepare for the competition in Canada. The first day of the show saw Stacey and Alan setting up their stand, followed by a centre stage demonstration by Stacey at 10.00am on Saturday 4th April.

The Landscape Gardeners, Michael 22 and Christopher 23 are working as a team and used the International Flower and Garden Show as an opportunity to enhance their communication and cooperation skills.

According to Ben Mead, Landscape Gardening Team Expert, "The young landscapers will have 4 days to complete an International project consisting of a European style garden featuring a stone bench and granite coble stone paving with over 70 plants."

Christopher Dimitriou and Mick Buist training hard at
the International Flower and Garden Show.

Landscape Gardening Expert, Ben Meade with WSA CEO
Mark Callaghan at the Flower and Garden Show, Melbourne

Thanks to Web Design Expert, Jarrad Langdon and 2005 Skillaroo Matthew Ryan for creating a new website to promote the regional’s Web Design competition.

View the 2009 Web Design, Regional Competition website.

Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo, WorldSkills Australia Try’a Trade
Venue: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Date and Time: Friday 8 May, 9am-4pm, Saturday 9 May 10am-4pm

Where: Newcastle Exhibition Centre, Newcastle Showground, Broadmeadow
When: 20th - 23rd May 2009
Why: Team Australia Skillaroos testing their skills in a simulated International Competition

WorldSkills Australia welcomes Michelle Hardy to the WorldSkills Australia Head Office. Michelle is working as Operations Assistant. Michelle is no stranger to WorldSkills Australia where she was first involved in 2006 during the lead in to the 2006 National Competition. Michelle has recently relocated from the Gold Coast where she was working as the Special Events Administrator for Queensland Ambulance Service. Welcome Michelle!

CIGWELD the market leading brand of welding equipment, welding consumables and cutting equipment in the South Pacific region has had an association with WorldSkills Australia in excess of 25 years, commencing way back inthe early eighties. Over this period CIGWELD product brands including Satincraft and Ferrocraft electrodes Autocraft MIG wires, Comet gas cutting and welding equipment, Transmig and Transtig arc welding machines, to name but a few, have become an integral part of the WorldSkills Regional, National and International Competitions.

Now an important part of Thermadyne a global cutting and welding market leader, the CIGWELD brand accounts for more than 80% of Thermadyne sales in Asia Pacific and remains the pre-eminent market leader in the South Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand. With global manufacturing facilities in Asia Pacific, Europe and the USA, Thermadyne’s major brands, including CIGWELD, Thermal Dynamics, Tweco, Stoody and Arcair brands that is renowned throughout the world.

CIGWELD strives to distinguish themselves from their competitors through market leading brands, top quality welding and cutting products, competitive prices and exceptional delivery performance backed up by customer service and technical support which is the bench mark of the industry. 

Thermadyne is an enthusiastic sponsor of the WorldSkills Australia competition, both proud of our 25 year plus association and keen to provide our outstanding trades people with market leading CIGWELD welding and cutting equipment and welding consumables with which to excel locally, regionally and internationally.

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