Team South Africa prepares to showcase best of skills and culture at WorldSkills Lyon 2024

WorldSkills South Africa is no stranger to WorldSkills Competitions, having participated in national, regional, and international events since 1990. This year, the WorldSkills South Africa team is made up of 26 Competitors, supported by 28 Experts.

As part of One School One Country, WorldSkills South Africa will be swapping cultural knowledge with their paired school, the Léonard de Vinci school in Chassieu. For the last seven months, the Lyon school and the WorldSkills South Africa team have been learning about each other’s country and preparing insights to share when they meet in person.

This rich cultural exchange is one of the highlights of WorldSkills Lyon 2024. Siyabonga Nxumalo, Communications Officer at WorldSkills South Africa, says, “We are looking forward to learning about the French culture, noting the differences, and seeing what we can take home. We will be representing South Africa with pride.”

As part of their planned activities for the day, the team will show a presentation about one of the South Africa’s top Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools, the President Mangope Technical High School. They are also planning a series of discussions with the local French students about the different skills represented by WorldSkills South Africa, which range from Renewable Energy to Autobody Repair to Beauty Therapy. By sharing more about these skills, they hope to inspire French students to consider new career paths.

The WorldSkills South Africa team have also been busy preparing for the Competition, increasing its training, and working with local partners and other international teams to hone their skills. They have even delved into the WorldSkills archives, to find Test Projects from previous Competitions to practice on.

The training has been intensive, especially as the Competition draws closer, but the team are optimistic about their chances. Siyabonga says, “Despite the challenges, our Competitors have been adequately trained and we are confident that they will perform well.”

One of WorldSkills South Africa’s Competitors, Alex Van Der Berg, is competing in Welding. He says, “I am very excited to be part of the team coming to WorldSkills Lyon 2024. This is a rare opportunity for us as young people to showcase our talents and skills on a global stage. I am most looking forward to meeting other Champions from different countries. This is the moment I have been preparing myself for since I won gold at the national competition in January, and I am very hopeful that my hard work will pay off.”

As well as new cultural insights from OSOC and excellent performance at the Competition, WorldSkills South Africa is also hoping to bring home new ways to improve its national TVET system. Siyabonga says, “Participating in WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will give us a strong indication of how our TVET curriculum compares to that of leading economies. We want to learn best practices from other countries and apply them in our country, ensuring that our TVET system provides training at an international standard.”

Read more about WorldSkills South Africa, and find out more about the countdown to WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024

WorldSkills Lyon 2024, 10 to 15 September, is the world’s largest international skills competition, featuring 1,400 Competitors from almost 70 countries and regions. The 47th WorldSkills Competition showcases excellence in young skilled talent, while also bringing industry, education, and government leaders together to move skills to the top of the global agenda. WorldSkills is highlighting the critical role skills play in addressing global challenges, boosting economies and industries, and promoting excellence