Setting the 'Hot' Stage for the 40th WorldSkills Competition

Press release, May 27, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Eight people, four days, one extensive Information Technology system to configure for an international event that is 2/3 the size of the '88 Winter Games. In less than four months Canada will host the 40th WorldSkills Competition on Calgary's Stampede Park. The international Competition of skills, trade, and technology includes an IT system that will set the precedent for future events of this magnitude. From May 25 until May 29, a team assembled by WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd. `hot staged' the Network Operating Centre (NOC) in Winnipeg, MN, using a portion of the equipment.

WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Ltd. IT Manager, Roger Dery, lead the hot stage team, along with members of some of the IT Project's partnering companies including Cisco, Allstream, HP, and Epic Information Solutions. WorldSkills International was also present to test and verify the IT system's capability of handling the complicated needs of the WorldSkills Competition. Other partners contributing to the IT Project for the overall event are Fluke Networks, Draka, VM Ware, Microsoft, and Autodesk. Dery says `hot staging' includes set-up, configuration and testing of the entire NOC. The system includes multiple layers of security and reliability methods. Dery says it is comparable in size to TransCanada Pipeline building networks in downtown Calgary, AB, Canada.

The main goal of the IT Project is to ensure a reliable and secure network for the 40th WorldSkills Competition. Testing the NOC with a reliable representation of the equipment involved provided organizers with insight on enhancements needed for the September 1 - 7 event. The international event, held in Calgary, AB, Canada, will involve approximately 900 Competitors from 51 countries/regions competing in 45 different skills. Each skill will be tested from a Competitor and judging perspective during the hot staging. Other systems include streaming audio and video and secure wireless Internet that will be available for Competitors and guests throughout the grounds.

During the 40th WorldSkills Competition in September, the NOC is set to manage an extensive network of equipment, including:

• 1,100 monitors
• 105 46 Inch LCD displays
• 900 desktops
• 100 laptops
• 200 personal printers
• 4 enterprise printers
• 9 plotters
• 450 cell phones
• 200 CB radios

For more information, please visit: www.worldskills2009.com