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WorldSkills Europe is proud to welcome FANUC, the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial robots, as a Premium Sponsor

The new partnership will see FANUC support the organisation of the Robot Systems Integration competition at EuroSkills

Robot Systems Integration skill competition

EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023

As part of the UK’s programme of activities for the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, presented by Samsung, WorldSkills UK is hosting an international symposium on Friday 4 November, focused on the importance of skills excellence.

The hybrid event, taking place in Cardiff, Wales and online (via registration), will bring together a range of experts who will share their perspectives on how Members and Partners of the WorldSkills movement play a vital role in driving the highest international skill standards, which empower young people, support employers and advance economic growth.

Speakers at the symposium include:

• Aurelia Ruetsch, Deputy CEO, WorldSkills France
• Vaughan Gethin, Minister for the Economy of Wales
• Professor Susan James Relly, Director, SKOPE, Oxford University
• Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO, WorldSkills UK
• David Hoey, CEO, WorldSkills International
• Shane Mann, MD, LSect (Chair of the event)

WorldSkills UK invites all Members, Sponsors and Partners of WorldSkills Europe and WorldSkills International to join the symposium online.

For more information and to register to attend, visit the WorldSkills UK World-class Skills Symposium event webpage. 

About Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Greece

WorldSkills Europe CEO Laurence Gates will join the 2022 Forum on Vocational Excellence to speak about the importance of EuroSkills and WorldSkills Competitions.

With the aim of supporting the EU in its initiative on Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) and its vocational educational and training (VET) strategy, the European Commission and the Basque government, with the support of the European Training Foundation (ETF), Cedefop and EACEA, as well as the Community of Practice on CoVEs, and Katapult, will hold an international meeting in San Sebastian, Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, from 15 to 16 November.

The Forum will be held at the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture. It will include the participation of the partners of ongoing CoVE projects, as well as other European centres currently developing or intending to develop initiatives on vocational excellence, and forming part of wider European networks.

The event aims to mobilise the participation of different VET centres and relevant stakeholders, to reach the European target of establishing at least 100 networks of vocational excellence by 2027.   

The Forum has the following objectives: 

1. To disseminate the CoVE initiative, make it more widely known, further boost the demand for Erasmus+ project applications, and increase the number of VET centres involved in the vocational excellence initiative. 

2. To raise the awareness, support and involvement of national and regional authorities in the vocational excellence initiative. 

3. To connect experiences and know-how of CoVEs with policy making for more impactful action on social inclusions. 

4. To engage in focused thematic discussions on core elements of vocational excellence. 

5. To share and debate examples of on-going CoVE projects, as well as present the Basque vocational education and training system, as inspiring examples for other countries. 

European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit has confirmed his participation at the opening of the event on 15 November.

WorldSkills Europe CEO Laurence Gates will join the Forum on Day 1 (15 November) for a session called, “VET fit for the future – the role for Vocational Excellence”, where she will speak about the ways in which EuroSkills and WorldSkills Competitions, together with participating Member Country organisations and Sponsors and Partners support the ambitions and activities of the CoVE initiative by helping to raise standards of excellence in technical and vocational education and training across the world.

The Forum will also benefit from high level political representatives, including national governments (from both EU and ETF partner countries), social partners and their European level representatives, VET provider associations, regional authorities, International organisations, as well as European institutions and Agencies.

The event will be hybrid, with a physical component in San Sebastian and the main parts of the program being streamed online for all to follow.

For more information about the event, visit: ec.europa.eu.

October and November are packed with action as WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition showcases 1,000 of the best young skilled talent from around the world.

Sixty-two skill competitions have been scheduled to take place across Europe, North America, and East Asia between September and November 2022 as part of the 46th WorldSkills Competition, presented by Samsung.

For details about all events, dates and locations, visit: worldskills2022se.com/schedule.

Watch the promotional film below.

WorldSkills Competition 2026 will be held in Shanghai, China.

Following the cancellation of WorldSkills Shanghai 2022, China presented an updated proposal highlighting new opportunities for China, and for WorldSkills International (WSI) Members and Partners. WSI Members voted in favour of the bid at the General Assembly on 26 September 2022.

Scheduled to take place on 12 to 17 October 2022, the 46th WorldSkills Competition was originally planned for 2021 and was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s lockdowns in Shanghai and ongoing pandemic prevention and control restrictions prevented China from hosting the 2022 event.

In recognition of the strong commitment shown by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), the Municipality of Shanghai, WorldSkills China, and WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 Executive Bureau, WorldSkills International offered the possibility for China to host WorldSkills Competition 2026 subject to the decision of the Members at its General Assembly.

Under the theme “New Era, New Skills, New Dream” China’s proposal for organising the championship outlined several goals.

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 would serve to advance WorldSkills ideas and values and invite more young people to join the WorldSkills community; strenghthen vocational education and training by incorporating WorldSkills Occupational Standards to drive reforms; fostering personal growth and quality employment through skills, and promote closer ties between countries through skills.

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 is expected to take place in September of 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai.

WorldSkills Europe is excited to welcome Mastercam as a Skill Sponsor

Mastercam is the world’s leading CAD/CAM software designed for innovation, streamlined precision, and efficiency in manufacturing. The software empowers designers and NC programmers across a spectrum of industries, delivering manufacturing solutions for milling, turning, wire EDM, router programming, Swiss machining, plasma cutting, lasers, and 3D design and drafting.

As a Skill Sponsor of WorldSkills Europe, Mastercam will support CNC competitions in the Manufacturing and Engineering Technology sector at EuroSkills. The Mastercam software will be made available for free to Competitors and Experts for training and participation at EuroSkills Competitions.

Teija Ripattila, Chair of the Board, WorldSkills Europe, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mastercam to WorldSkills Europe as a Skill Sponsor. Mastercam’s support will help us continue to drive up standards of excellence in manufacturing and inspire the next generation of skilled professionals across Europe. We look forward to working closely with Mastercam throughout this partnership.”

Peter Mancini, Education Manager, Mastercam, said: “We are proud to join WorldSkills Europe as a Skill Sponsor. Users of Mastercam software form the world’s strongest CAD/CAM community, pushing product development, machining innovation, and manufacturing advancements on an international scale. Through our partnership with WorldSkills Europe, Mastercam will help EuroSkills participants improve the critical technology skills needed to excel in their training and professional development. We are excited for the future of both EuroSkills Competitions, and of manufacturing and skilled trades as a whole”.

Find out more about Mastercam.

On 14 September 2022, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen delivered her third State of the Union Address (SOTEU) before the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, during which she highlighted the shortage of skills in Europe.

“We need much more focus in our investment on professional education and upskilling,” said von der Leyen, “but we also have to attract the right skills to our continent, skills that help companies and strengthen Europe’s growth.”

Von der Leyen also highlighted that increased investment in further and higher education needs “careful knowledge of what staff are needed and how we can fill those vacancies.” The new EU call under the DIGITAL Europe Programme, which will fund new Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in key technology areas, aims to address this need.

“The lack of staff is a challenge for Europe’s companies. We must invest much more in training and further education. This is why I am proposing to make 2023 the European Year of Skills.”

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen

For more information, visit: digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu.

From 7 to 10 September Bern, Switzerland is the host city – launching WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.

The WorldSkills flag was hoisted at the top of the Männlichen in Switzerland as the Competitors taking part in Prototype Modelling, gathered at the peak of this mountain, which overlooks the famous Eiger North Face.

Coming from India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand, the six Competitors in Prototype Modelling are the first to showcase their skills as part of WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.

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The first skill competition runs from 7 to 10 September at Bernexpo, Bern, Switzerland, alongside SwissSkills2022, the largest ever national competition. A total of 120,000 visitors are expected, including 64,000 young students from 2,600 school classes.

Following a day of Familiarisation for Competitors to work with the equipment and get acquainted with the workshop, an Opening Ceremony took place on 6 September at the Äusserer Stand.

Welcome from the Mayor of Bern

Welcoming the participants and guests was the Mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried. In his speech, Mr von Graffenried highlighted that Bern has been a host of SwissSkills since 2014, a sign of the city’s commitment to vocational education and training. Wishing the Competitors luck in the coming days, the Mayor expressed how pleased he was with the inaugural event of WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition taking place in Bern.

Competitor and Expert Oath

The Oath were given by the Indian and Korean Competitors and the Japanese and Thai Experts – promising to compete fairly, respecting, and abiding by the Code of Ethics and Conduct, the Competition Rules, and the WorldSkills values – all in the true spirit of WorldSkills.

Official Opening Ceremony

The official opening of the Competition was declared by WorldSkills Champions Trust representative, Jacqueline Tanzer.

“As we embark on this unique series of skills competitions, I am going to share three things that I believe are particularly special – our people, our precision, and our passion,” she said. “Never has our passion for skills been more apparent than in this incredible show of commitment, adaptability, and creativity by Members in staging this – the 46th WorldSkills Competition.”

Samsung Electronics is the Overall Event Presenter for WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition – its partnership with WorldSkills has been ongoing since 2007, supporting both organisations’ goals to empower future generations to achieve their full potential and pioneer positive social changes.

WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition is the 46th WorldSkills Competition. Thanks to the commitment of WorldSkills Partners and Members, 62 skill competitions will be hosted at 29 events, in 26 cities, across 15 countries and regions between 7 September and 26 November 2022. More than 1,000 Competitors will compete, representing 57 countries and regions.

Visit the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition website for a full list of skill competitions, dates, and locations.