Champions celebrate World Youth Skills Day in South Africa

WorldSkills Global Partners, IAPMO (International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials) and Autodesk are recognizing World Youth Skills Day with a project in Diepsloot, South Africa that demonstrates the power of developing youth’s skills and talents to improve a community.

Eight defunct communal toilets will be transformed in Diepsloot, as four international student teams, representing Australia, India, United States, and South Africa, collaborate with local talent to develop the most effective and sustainable solutions. 

WorldSkills Champions, Caiti Ward, Graphic Design Technology, and Thabiso Mohale, Autobody Repair at WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 representing South Africa, are the WorldSkills eyes and ears on the ground, learning about the project and sharing it with the global audience.

“I have worked in Diepsloot before and I'm familiar with the community. I have built houses and worked in the education sector, specifically with nursery school children. So I know it is a beautiful community,” said Caiti. “To be back here learning more about the people and sharing it with the WorldSkills community is a thrill.”

The final day of the Community Plumbing Challenge 2016 coincides with World Youth Skills Day on 15 July, a day to generate awareness of the importance of technical, and vocational education and training to both local and global economies.

The plumbing teams are working side by side with Autodesk student design experts from the University of Johannesburg, Wits University, and young designers from the Diepsloot community. Their ideas are being brought to life using Fusion 360, Autodesk’s latest cloud-based 3D CAD platform, the local students learnt earlier in the year at the Fusion Design Hub Challenge.

As Caiti and Thabiso share in the experience first-hand, fellow Champions, Ricardo Vivian and Chirag Goel, are sharing their ideas with the Diepsloot team from their homes in Brazil and India.

Ricardo, Graphic Design Technology Competitor at WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 representing Brazil, and Chirag, Web Design and Development Competitor in WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 representing India, each have a passion for design that brought them to the world stage. The Community Plumbing Challenge gives them the opportunity to experience once again how those skills transform lives.

“World Youth Skills Day is about celebrating youth from around the world, who not only develop their skills to make their lives better but also those around them,” said Chirag. “I’ve learnt how small, yet connected the world can be and it’s our job to make it great together.”

Visit WorldSkills and Community Plumbing Challenge on Facebook, and Fusion Design Hub Challenge blog for updates from Diepsloot, South Africa.