24 July 2009
Young New Zealand Trades Team Off To Canada
Seventeen young New Zealand trades’ men and women are taking on the world in head-to-head competition in Calgary, Canada, beginning 1 September.
World titles are at stake, and New Zealand standards of trades training are in the spotlight.
“We hear a lot about international competitiveness,” says Peter Spencer, Chief Executive of WorldSkills New Zealand. “Well, this is it! Our young team of Tool Blacks will contest individual trade categories against more than 800 Competitors from 51 countries/regions. They will be demonstrating their skills in specially assigned tasks designed to simulate the exacting requirements of their workplace, in what will be intense competitive situations. They will be testing themselves against tough international standards - and individual top performers from other countries! They are New Zealand’s representatives in international Competition, and they will be proudly wearing the silver fern.”
The Tool Blacks were selected after the WorldSkills New Zealand national finals in September 2008. Since that time the young people selected and their trainers have been putting in long hours of training to fine-tune their skills in preparation for four days of intense practical competition.
The team will compete in seventeen different trade categories covering a broad range.
There’s nothing like team building for international teams on tour. Here Tool Blacks are taking part in preparations recently at Burnham military camp. They’re taking their task of representing New Zealand very seriously! There’s Plumbing to Printing, Cabinetmaking to Automotive Technology, Floristry to Restaurant Services. Team members will be accompanied to Canada by Expert trainers from each of the trade categories
WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, non-profit charitable trust that was founded in 1986. Its purpose is to encourage young people to excel in vocational skills, achieved through exposure to competitions at a regional, national, and international level.
“We set out to help young New Zealanders by providing a model for excellence in industry training, and setting goals for young people to aspire to in their personal development,” says Peter Spencer.
The New Zealand organisation is a Member of WorldSkills International which is conducting the WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada
“The international Competitions are invaluable, not just to the individual Competitors but also because they give New Zealand the opportunity to benchmark its training against that of 51 other countries/regions. At the WorldSkills Competition 2007 in Japan, New Zealand was ranked 14th in the world. In 2009 the aim is to better that ranking.”
Bruce Howat, WorldSkills New Zealand Board Chairman says New Zealand produces stars in the trade training discipline.
“As a nation we have invested heavily in trade training in the last decade and these outstanding young people symbolise the best of that investment. Those involved have every reason to be proud as the team heads off to Calgary to pit themselves against the best in the world. We will all grow through this experience. I wish the team well, knowing they will be the best ambassadors imaginable for our country,” said Mr Howat.
The Governor-General of New Zealand, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, is the Patron of WorldSkills New Zealand, and will be hosting a special farewell function for the Tool Black team at Government House in Auckland on Saturday 1 August.
For more information please visit: www.worldskills.org.nz.