Mark Callaghan’s Welcome

Dear WorldSkills Supporter,

October has been a big month for WorldSkills Australia – at the local level as well as overseas.

At the beginning of the month, John Shiel and I represented WSA at the WorldSkills International General Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica. The General Assembly was, I believe, a success across many levels. The formal meetings with representatives from close to 40 WorldSkills member countries were very productive and led to some significant initiatives being endorsed – most importantly the WSI Vision for the future, “WorldSkills 2020 – Promoting Skills Across the World”. This document is significant in that it sets out the ‘road map’ for WSI for the future including the establishment of the WorldSkills Foundation. The Foundation will allow WSI to develop a broader vision, extending the role of WSI beyond the competition to include advocacy and education. More information on the WorldSkills Foundation will be provided in the coming months.

WSI Board elections were also held as part of the General Assembly in Jamaica and congratulations go to our very own John Shiel who has been elected to the position of Vice President for Technical Affairs. John will take up this position following the competition in London next year.

Perhaps the highlight of the General Assembly was the presentation to all member country representatives by the Youth Forum. Once again, the Youth Forum reinforced the importance of providing our past competitors with a ‘voice’ by showcasing some tremendous ideas on how we can better promote WorldSkills. Australia was well represented by Megan Kuhn (2009 Skillaroo – Hairdressing) and Andy Arthur (2009 – Skillaroo Manufacturing Team Challenge) who both made significant contributions and highlighted the high calibre of young Australians who go through the WSA program of competitions.

Here in Australia, October saw the convening of the WSA Regional Workshop and the inaugural WSA Youth Forum in Adelaide. Both were extremely successful with the Regional Workshop providing us with the opportunity to review and preview activities with all WSA regions. The highlight of the few days in Adelaide was undoubtedly the presentation from the Youth Forum on the final morning. The results of three long days were presented to all participants of the Regional Forum, members of the WSA Board and staff of the WSA National Office. What we witnessed re-inspired and re-invigorated many people and I hope you all visit the WSA website (www.worldskills.org.au) to get a flavour of what was presented.

WSA is soon to mark its 30th anniversary and as one regional delegate observed following the Youth Forum presentation “WSA is in safe hands for the next thirty years”. I look forward to the continued involvement with WSA of all Youth Forum attendees and indeed all past competitors and I look forward to implementing their ideas as we all continue to ‘spread the word’.

At the recent WorldSkills General Assembly held in Kingston, Jamaica, WSA’s current Technical Delegate was appointed to the WorldSkills International (WSI) Board.

Following the conclusion of the 41st WorldSkills Competition in London, John will take on the role of Vice President for Technical Affairs and will have the responsibility of chairing the WSI Technical Committee which deals with all technical and organisational matters relating to the Competition.
John has many years experience with WSA at both the National and International level and a measure of the confidence and respect in which he is held internationally was that he was elected unopposed to the position on the WSI Board.

Congratulations John.

“The 2010 WorldSkills Australia Youth Forum was an amazing experience – a chance to give something back to WorldSkills Australia. To have the opportunity to come together with other motivated and enthusiastic past competitors and WorldSkills Australia personnel to pool ideas and solutions to help strengthen WorldSkills Australia’s profile.” - Jodie Taylor, YF Delegate

From the 21st - 24th October, 25 young men and women from all over Australia representing 20 skills categories came together for the Inaugural WorldSkills Australia Youth Forum in Adelaide. No icebreaker games were needed to encourage socialising and group work. The delegates were keen to get to know each other and jump straight into the ‘business end’ of the forum. The delegates were split into three groups with each group focusing on a topic related to improving WSA now and into the future. The three topics were: Almost Famous, Knowledge is Power and Life Beyond the Competition. The outcomes and ideas of three days of brainstorming, planning and preparing the official YF report culminated in a fantastic presentation to all the Regional Workshop contacts, WSA Board Members, WSA CEO Mark Callaghan and WSA Chair Jeanette Allen. The future of WSA is bright! Congratulations to all Youth Forum Delegates on a hugely successful Youth Forum and the myriad of brilliant ideas you came up with which WSA will work on to implement in the future.

• View Photos
• View Presentation

Youth Forum Delegates with members of the WSA Board

The 2010 WorldSkills Australia Regional Workshop was held in Adelaide on the 22nd – 24th October 2010. All regions were represented in the three day workshop which covered items such as the 2010 National Competition, 2011 Team Australia - The Skillaroos, International Pathways, Sponsorship, 2011 round of Regional Competitions, VETiS competitions, Marketing and Communications, Try’aTrade and Finances.

The workshop culminated in the presentation from the 2010 WorldSkills Australia Youth Forum on the Sunday morning.

The workshop was a huge success and a very valuable exercise leading in to the next round of competitions; both WorldSkills Australia staff and the Regional representatives acquired valuable information.

We thank everyone for their attendance and valuable contributions to the discussion points throughout the weekend.

By Andy Arthur, 2009 Skillaroo (MTC) and WSI YF Delegate

In early October Megan (Kuhn) and I participated in the 2010 WorldSkills International Youth Forum which was held in Kingston, Jamaica.It was a very jam packed two weeks over there! There were 29 delegates present from around the world. While over there we developed marketing campaigns for WorldSkills International. As you all undoubtedly have seen by now, the character “Steve” was created to help market WorldSkills. To finish the youth forum, our group of delegates presented our ideas to the WorldSkills General Assembly (where Mark Callaghan and John Shiel were present). We were applauded with a standing ovation! Jamaica is a very beautiful, green country, and the people are friendly and a lot of fun! During our time over there we met some great people, made some great friends, and shared some great times. Even with all the hard work over there - we had an absolute ball!

• Visit WorldSkills International Youth Forum Website

Megan Kuhn (2009 Skillaroo, Hairdressing), John Shiel, Jarrad Langdon, WSA CEO Mark Callaghan, Andy Arthur (2009 Skillaroo, MTC)

Team Australia  Skillaroos will be formally announced on the 19th November at the Australian Training Awards in Homebush.

We look forward to keeping everyone updated with regard to the 2011 Team Australia Skillaroos and, in particular, introducing everyone to these worthy Australian representatives after the team is formally announced by Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in November. Watch this space.

On the night of the 26th of October at a dinner in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Ruth Browne – General Manager/Director of Corporate Education at Pivot Point Academy – was awarded the 2010 Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Commitment to Australian Apprenticeships. Presented by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans. The 2010 Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Commitment to Australian Apprenticeships recognises the lifetime achievements of an individual who has completed an apprenticeship or traineeship, continued to work in their field and is now involved in training Australian Apprentices as part of their business or employment. Fundamentally, this person has progressed ‘full circle’ through the Australian Apprenticeships system.

Ruth has been involved with WorldSkills Australia for many years in her capacity as current National judge and past International Expert for the Hairdressing category. She works for Pivot Point Academy who continue to be  supportive sponsors of the WSA Hairdressing category.
For more information on the 2010 Minister’s Awards for Excellence for Commitment to Australian Apprenticeships, please click on the following link - Cick here

On the 19th of October, six highly skilled and impressive young men were awarded Australian Overseas Foundation (AOF) Scholarships to travel and work overseas.

The AOF is committed to providing opportunities for young Australian's to gain skills through overseas work experience and develop independence, confidence and cultural awareness. These young men are excellent role models for all young Australian's, particularly young apprentices, trainees and skills elite.

They were awarded their scholarships at a Presentation Ceremony held at the VACC.
Following the Presentation Ceremony, a celebratory dinner was held at William Angliss TAFE.

The 2010 AOF Winners are:

• Marcus Bleumink - Plumber
• Daniel Kostakakis - Automotive Repair
• Blake McCarthy- Instrumentation Electrician
• Jesse Mills-Automotive Technician
• Jacob Pitman- Carpenter/Builder
• Shane Rofe- Carpenter/Builder

Jazz on The Dam was held at the Hornery residence on Saturday 9th October in the Hunter Valley, also affectionately known as “God’s Country”. Local organisations, members of the public and the WorldSkills Australia community supported the day in honour of Steve Hornery and his last wish- to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation in honour of his granddaughter Molly who passed away with Spinal Muscular Atrophy in 2004. The day was a great success and raised over $3700. The day was full of fun and games for all ages with a jazz band, children's face painting and games, wine tasting, a fresh coffee van, aqua golf, 100 club, homemade cakes and a sausage sizzle.

Jazz Bands, Kids Games & Aqua Golf

Krio Krush, Food Suppliers Specialising in Savoury Seasonings, Herbs and Spices

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Krio Krush Basic Foods Pty Ltd is located in Kingsgrove, Sydney, Australia. All ingredients are carefully selected to meet strict requirements. They therefore are able to provide products of consistent quality and safety.

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Krio Krush Basic Foods Pty Ltd commitment is based on providing the highest quality natural ingredients, with their client’s requirements being their priority.

Krio Krush Basic Foods Pty Ltd has been a National and International supporter of WorldSkills Australia for a number of years and has committed to support both the 2011 International and 2012 National competitions.