WorldSkills President participates in EduTrends 2025

WorldSkills President Francis Hourant participated in EduTrends 2025, Luxembourg’s key event for education and vocational training stakeholders, where he led a workshop on utilizing skills competitions as a pedagogical tool.

EduTrends is an interactive forum dedicated to the exchange of ideas, best practices, and innovative initiatives in education. First launched in 2023, this year’s edition focused on the opportunities and challenges that current technological trends – digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence – have had on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Organized by Luxembourg’s Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth, the forum targets education providers primarily, but also engages with students, parents, and training companies.

The Minister of National Education reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing and modernizing vocational training. A highlight of the evening was the presentation by Sascha Steffen, a Medallist from LuxSkills 2024 in Forestry. His talk – “LuxSkills: Excellence in Action” – offered a powerful and personal reflection on the impact of skills competitions on young professionals.

Participants explored key topics, such as the application of AI in trades, inclusion, mentoring, and school-business collaboration.

Mr Hourant led a thematic workshop: “WorldSkills – Practical strategies for bringing skills competitions into the classroom”. The workshop underscored the power of skills competitions to inspire students, elevate the perception of professions in the trades, and foster closer ties between education providers and industry.

“Thanks to WorldSkills competitions at local, regional, national and international levels, our students don’t just learn a trade – they discover their potential, build self-confidence in real-world situations, accelerating their careers and heightening their ambitions,” said Mr Hourant.

EduTrends 2025 reaffirmed the importance of bridging innovation, skills, and education. For more information on this and previous editions, visit EduTrends official website.