WorldSkills Update 11 September 2013

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Message from David Hoey

Every year once the WorldSkills Competition has finished, there is a sense of release. The Competitors return to a 'normal' life while the rest of the WorldSkills movement starts looking to the next big event. After spending the last two months wrapping up WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 and reflecting on the achievements that include those outlined in the articles below, it is imperative for us to look towards the future. WorldSkills is at an exciting point as we celebrate the successes of WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 and look to the future filled with enormous opportunities. A key part of this is the imminent launch of our new brand and communications strategies. These will help take WorldSkills into the mainstream. The number one thing we realized after WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 is that there is a large global interest in WorldSkills beyond our current stakeholders. We are doing everything possible to engage with people and keep the momentum strong in between the big events. So keep watching WorldSkills as things are about to change!

David Hoey, CEO, WorldSkills International

The numbers of WorldSkills Leipzig 2013

It is hard to believe that it has been a month already since WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 officially closed. The statistics and data coming out of the 42nd WorldSkills Competition are impressive. The event continues to grow at a phenomal rate. Here is what we know already, the Final Report will have much much more:

• There were 1,004 Competitors registered from 53 different countries/regions in 46 skills
• There were 1,023 journalists present through the official accreditation system
• There were over 160 Event Sponsors involved
• WSI uploaded 20,388 photos to Flickr and there has been 843,304 photo views during July
• WSTV added 120 videos from the Competition and there have been 72,805 views on WorldSkills TV's YouTube channel in July
• WSI Facebook reach was 828,092 unique users during July with 599,505 during the week of the event
• WSI website had 86,313 unique visitors in July with 460,094 page views

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Print Media Technology is honoured with Sustainability Award

The Sustainability award deals with ensuring a viable and successful future for the organization and its competitions. In order to deal with future growth, securing lasting benefits and returns on investment from running competitions while ensuring the competitions are high quality and professionally conducted, all Experts are tasked with reviewing and improving their own skill.

During WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, Print Media Technology was recognized as the skill that made the most advancements in sustainability. Not only is it important to take steps to reduce the negative impact on the planet in this competition area but it is important that we at WorldSkills set the bar high for the youth around the world to use their skills and knowledge to do the same.

WorldSkills would like to congratulate all the Experts and the Workshop Supervisor in Skill 11, Print Media Technology for their outstanding efforts to reduce their environmental impact during the WorldSkills Competition. Keep up the great work.

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One School One Country wrap up from Leipzig 2013

In Leipzig, Germany more than 4,000 students aged 7-10 took part in One School One Country (OSOC) this year. On 2 July, approximately 1,000 international Competitors went and visited their 53 partner schools. The Competitors had the opportunity to experience life in a German primary school and some took part in a mini skills competition set up by the school. Approximately 4,400 students and teachers visited the Competition on 3 July as part of the OSOC programme. As part of the onsite visit, students had the opportunity to meet the State Minister of Eduation of Saxony, Mrs Brunhild Kurth.

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And the winner is... WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017!

After months of planning and preparing, Abu Dhabi was officially voted as the host for the 45th WorldSkills Competition.

This will be the first time a WorldSkills Competition will be hosted by an Arab country and in the MENA Region. The WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi will represent the ideal platform for sharing knowledge, know-how and experience in craftsmanship. Local students, Competitors and Experts will have an unprecedented opportunity to network and exchange best practices with participating countries that bring different expertise and economic background.

So mark your calendars for 17-22 October 2017 and see you in Abu Dhabi for the 45th WorldSkills Competition!

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Dmitry Livanov met with WorldSkills Russia's first national team

On 21 August 2013 Dmitry Livanov, Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, held a meeting with the members of WorldSkills Russia National Team.

Vitalina Mardaryeva, member of WorldSkills Russia National Team (Skill: Hairdressing) stated in her speech, that

"participation in the Competition gave me an extensive experience as well as to other members of First Russian National Team. This will help us to get future participants prepared for upcoming Competitions. I hope, that future Competitors that I teach will achieve great success in Brazil in 2015."

Minister Dmitry Livanov said at the meeting

"The participation of our team in skill competitions within WorldSkills helps them to understand, what skills and competences are mastered by their foreign fellows and how they can achieve this high performance of the work. Certainly, this experience will be useful not only to the Competitors, but for the whole vocational educational system."

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Siemens supported the WorldSkills Competition in Leipzig

As a Global Industry Partner of WorldSkills International, Siemens equipped several disciplines with the latest industrial products from the world of automation and drive technology.

Contestants for the title were first required to prove themselves against a large number of other applicants in regional and national competitions in their respective countries. The Competitors of Industrial Control tackled their task, the installation and startup of a rolling mill, using automation and drive equipment made available by Siemens. The gold medal in Industrial Control went to Filip Eng from Sweden, Kazuki Yuno from Japan won silver, and Caique Faria from Brazil took home the bronze medal.

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Who is training your customers?

Now, flip from the glossy brochure to the viewpoint of a lean manufacturer such as Fluke. My first impressions of WorldSkills came from business people. It was a good idea, they told me. Certainly we needed to encourage students to go into technical disciplines, and it was a great chance to integrate new technology into training programs. But, they whispered, why did their skill category have to get stuck next to the hairdressers during the competition?

And supporting education "feels good," they said, but really, what can you prove at the end of the day? What have you, as a manufacturer, tangibly accomplished by supporting a skills competition?

When industry experts mentor skills competitions, guide standards development, and help teams to train, we're helping schools align to industry needs. We're helping to create a more highly skilled workforce that's a better fit for our marketplace. You know that workforce "skills gap" you read about all the time? There are so many contributing factors, from technology and industry changes to retirement demographics to the worldwide recession, but the upshot is that we're back at Spain in 1946: we don't have enough people with the right experience and the right skills to do the work that industry needs.

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Networking Academy students win two of three medals for IT Network Systems Administration

I am still in awe at the incredible WorldSkills event that took place in Leipzig, Germany. It was truly amazing to see thousands of the most talented youth from around the world compete for the top title in their skill.

The four day IT Network Systems Administration competition covered various IT skills including Linux, Windows, Unified Communications, and Network Security: a realistic mix that employers would look for in a systems network administration expert.

Competitions like WorldSkills and Cisco NetRiders give Cisco Networking Academy students a chance to not only test out their skills, but also gain recognition. NetAcad students do particularly well in WorldSkills; over 90 percent of the 2013 IT Network Systems Administration Competitors came from the Networking Academy programme, including two of the three medal winners. NetAcad courses prepare Competitors by giving training in a hands-on environment that allows them access to online assessments, hands-on activities, and interactive learning tools.

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Upcoming WorldSkills events

Do you have events that you want to see here, send them to secretariat@worldskills.org.

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