French National Education offers strong support to One School One Country at WorldSkills Lyon 2024

The One School One Country (OSOC) programme encourages students from schools of the host city to engage with WorldSkills Competitors from around the world.

Launched at WorldSkills Shizuoka 2007, this cultural exchange programme takes place alongside the WorldSkills Competition. In the host country, schools are partnered with a WorldSkills Member country or region, fostering new cultural connections and promoting mutual learning about the diverse cultures, skills, vocational education, and career opportunities showcased at the Competition.

At WorldSkills Lyon 2024, Competitors from over 70 delegations will meet with approximately 6,000 pupils from over 50 schools in the Lyon region. The French Ministry of National Education as well as local and national education leaders fully support the programme, hoping to create lasting ties between the schools and the delegations.

This year’s edition of the programme was launched during Competition Preparation Week in Lyon on 31 January 2024, in the presence of students and teachers from participating schools, education leaders, delegations, and Members of the WorldSkills community. Schools had the opportunity to discover their corresponding delegations and connect with them for the first time.

For Anne Laigle, Advisor to the Chair of the Board of Education (for Auvergne Rhône-Alpes) and academic delegate for European and international relations, whose work involves the promotion of international exposure to schools across the Lyon region, “OSOC is a fantastic opportunity to meet young people from a wide variety of backgrounds, whatever language they speak.”

Yann Buisson, French National Education Inspector for Vocational Training, is also pleased by local schools’ participation in the programme.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 plans to welcome 75,000 students to a tailored Visitor Experience at the event. Education institutions such as the Board of Education of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes academic region, the Métropole de Lyon (including several academies), and authorities in National Education are all supporting OSOC and encouraging participation in the programme, using logistical and financial support to maximize attendance.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 is also collaborating with the DGESCO (part of the French Ministry of National Education), which appointed academic advisors to act as liaisons between WorldSkills and schools. The DGESCO regularly holds meetings and sends communications to educational institutions across France, aiming to engage as many schools as possible.

Addressing students and teachers from participating schools, Hélène Duvivier-Dromain, Vice-president of the Metropole de Lyon, Delegate for European and International Cooperation and Tourism, stated, “It will be an opportunity for you to discover other countries and cultures, a real cultural melting pot that will be a very special experience.”

The WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Organizing Committee, along with invaluable support from the French government as well as local and national educational institutions and leaders, aims to make this edition of OSOC a memorable one. By highlighting the importance of cultural exchange and international collaboration in vocational education, WorldSkills Lyon 2024 hopes to put the spotlight on the significance of the programme within the WorldSkills movement.