In memoriam – Cees Beuk

2 January 1935 – 24 February 2025

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Cees Beuk, Past President of WorldSkills (then the International Vocational and Training Organization) from 1992 until 1999. Cees committed his professional life to vocational education and skills training.

He will be remembered by the WorldSkills community as a dedicated and driven individual. Our thoughts are with his wife, Katja Beuk-Haemjens Dekker; his children, Karen, Menno, and Monique Beuk; and his grandson, Bastiaan Beuk.

Cees became involved with WorldSkills in 1983. With expertise in educational assessment, exam development, and research methodology, he played a key role in standardizing and improving the WorldSkills Competition scoring methodology. This led to the introduction of the 500-point scoring system in 1988, a milestone in the history of WorldSkills, contributing to a fairer and more consistent assessment process. WorldSkills expanded its reach under his presidency, and saw the first regional skills competition in Europe, organized in Groningen in 1998.

We remember Cees with respect and admiration, and honour his contributions to Technical and Vocational Education and Training in the Netherlands and internationally.