WorldSkills International’s Global industry Partner, Lincoln Electric, Receives Innovation Award

Welding Experts, Lincoln Electric, have been recognised for their commitment to developing leading technology solutions by being awarded a special award for Software Innovation at the prestigious global International Institute of Welding Conference, the largest worldwide network for welding and joining technologies.

The Heinz Sossenheimer Software Innovation Award, sponsored by German based DVS, (German Welding Society) recognises welding software developments which significantly contribute to the improvement of both the quality and safety of joining, cutting or surfacing operations.

Lincoln Electric received their award in recognition for the VRTEX 360, a virtual reality computer based training tool which allows students to practice their welding technique in a simulated environment. The company was presented with the award by DVS, Germany’s leading theoretical and practical training organisation for Welding, and have donated their prize money to WorldSkills International.

Carl Peters, Director of Technical Training for Lincoln Electric said: “We are honoured to have received this award form DVS, one of the most respected welding societies in the world. Consistent with the spirit of helping others, we donated the cash to WorldSkills International because they are a non-profit foundation dedicated to the recognition of skills excellence and spreading those critical skills across the globe.”

David Hoey, Chief Executive Officer of WorldSkills International said: “We are very grateful to Lincoln Electric for donating their prize money to us. We have experienced first hand the benefits of this product at WorldSkills London 2011 where the VRTEX 360 was available for visitors to Have a Go at virtual welding and the activity proved to be one of the most popular skills for young people to try out.”

He continued; “Looking ahead, we are very much looking forward to Lincoln Electric’s partnership with WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, being held next year from 2nd to 7th July 2013 at the Leipzig Messe where we anticipate approximately 200,000 visitors and participants. WorldSkills International welcomes DVS, as a leading provider of welding training in Germany, to participate in the event and hopefully demonstrate this virtual reality technology to the public.”