2019 Skillaroos Announced

AUSTRALIAN TEAM ANNOUNCED TO COMPETE AT THE WORLDSKILLS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

With less than five months until the opening of the 45th WorldSkills International Championship taking place in Kazan, Russia, WorldSkills Australia has selected an elite team of 40 people, including 15 competitors and 25 experts and officials who will represent our nation at the competition – the leading international skills event for 2019.

The 15 young men and women from across Australia, known as the Skillaroos, will compete against the best apprentices and trainees from the 60 WorldSkills member countries in the hope of becoming World Champions in their chosen trade or skill area.

The Skillaroos, all aged between 19 to 22, represent a wide range of trades and skills with the majority aligning with the National Skills Needs list, these include: Cloud Computing, Electrical Installations, Plumbing and Heating and Graphic Design Technology.

The 45th WorldSkills International Championship will bring together more than 1,600 young people, representing 60 countries and regions who will compete in 56 skill competitions. It will take place in Kazan, Russia from 22-27 August 2019. It is expected that more than 250,000 spectators will attend the Championships.  Australia, currently 10th on the WorldSkills rankings, is aiming to better this and hoping for a top 5 finish.

Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the competitors demonstrated the excellent quality of skills we have in Australia.

“Australia has one of the best reputations in the world for skills development and the Morrison Government is continuing to invest in the sector, creating over 80,000 new apprenticeships to give more young Australians the opportunity to have a skills career.

“I congratulate all of the competitors that came to Melbourne this week to compete for a spot in the national team and wish them luck in Kazan.”

WorldSkills Australia CEO Brett Judd congratulated the Skillaroos on being selected to represent Australia.

“The competitors and their expert trainers and mentors have consistently shown the dedication, commitment and excellence we require of Team Australia when they represent our nation against the best in the world,” said Mr Judd.

“I applaud their determination and congratulate them on their selection. But their success would not have been possible without the dedication and support of their expert trainers and mentors, many of whom volunteer their time and experience to work with the Skillaroos.

“The WorldSkills experts have been selected because they represent the best of their industry or skill category. They are also passionate about helping develop their industry and young competitor,” he continued.

Mr Judd said WorldSkills Australia was nurturing and developing the skills of young Australians and highlighting the opportunities available to those pursuing a trade or skill.

“These young people are excelling in their chosen fields and many have already been rewarded with international experience and opportunities – their training and skills are really taking them places,” he said.

WorldSkills Australia will also send a group of category experts to Kazan who will assist with facilitating the event as judges and advisors. The Australian experts, who are all volunteers and highly regarded by their international peers, will utilise time in Kazan to network with global experts. This will give Australia the opportunity to learn best practices from other WorldSkills member nations and bring these learnings back to Australia to use within the Vocational Education sector, ensuring we remain competitive in these important industries.

The 2019 Skillaroos Competitors:

The 2019 Skillaroos Experts:

The 2019 Skillaroos Team Leaders: