WorldSkills Australia is an organisation that allows young Australians to showcase their trade talents by competing against their peers in various skills competitions. Competitions are held on a two year cycle and include regional, national and international levels.
Industry experts design and judge the competition projects, making sure to design the criteria to reflect the training and education that is provided by Australia’s VET system. The projects are to be completed within a set time frame before being judged by these professionals. The purpose of these competitions is to promote the awareness and development of skills in Australia as well as to encourage Vocational Education and Training.
Who Can Compete?
The competition is open to all Australian apprentices, trainees and VET students under the age of 23.
Why Compete?
Participating in WorldSkills competitions provides many benefits:
- Receive recognition from the community and potential employers
- Opportunity to travel and meet other students in the same industry
- Networking
- Learn new techniques and methods
- Scholarship opportunities
- International opportunities through the International competition
VETiS
School students are also welcome to participate in the competition.
The WorldSkills Australia VET in Schools (VETiS) Competition is open to students studying their first year of a VET subject.
The first round of this competition is held within the school or college, and projects reflect Certificate I and II level requirements. The competition is coordinated by teachers and may be completed during class time as part of an evaluation. The winner of this in-school round then continues on to the regional competition to compete against apprentices and trainees.
Regional Competition
Regional competitions are run every two years. They are one to two days in length and are held in 30 regions across Australia.
National Competition
National competitions are held every two years. A national competition runs for three days. 500 individuals compete in as many as 50 trade and skills categories, with 250 qualified professionals from across Australia acting as judges.
International Competition
Individuals moving on from the national competition become a part of Australia’s Skillaroos and work with category experts, team leaders and trainers to prepare for the International Competition (or Skills Olympics). The competition runs for four days, with 51 countries participating. Currently Australia ranks 5th among other nations. The next International Competition is to be held in London, UK from 5-8 October 2011.
Image by skills belgium
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