Skills Squad 2018/2019 Announcement

AUSTRALIA’S BEST YOUNG SKILLED WORKERS VYING TO TAKE ON WORLD’S BEST IN RUSSIA

Twenty-three young Australians have won the right to join a team who will train towards selection to represent Australia at the 45^th WorldSkills International Competition in Russia, in 2019.

The team members, known as the Skills Squad, were selected after their success at the recent WorldSkills Australia National Championships, which took place in Sydney last month. The championships saw more than 400 of Australia’s best apprentices and trainees compete for the title of National Champion in one of the 50 trade and skill categories.

The Skills Squad team members, who range in age from 17 to 23, will spend the next 10 months working with a dedicated training manager for the chance of being selected to represent Australia at the world’s biggest skills excellence competition, where the best young apprentices and trainees from more than 70 nations will compete for the title of World Champion in Kazan, Russia, in August 2019.

Skills Squad team members have been selected from a broad array of trades and skills, ranging from traditional trades such as Bricklaying and Cabinetmaking to skills of the future including Cloud Computing and IT Network Systems Administration. The team of 23 includes five females in the trade/skill areas of 3D Digital Game Art, Car Painting, Beauty Therapy, Fashion Technology and Graphic Design Technology.

At the last international championships, held in 2017 in Abu Dhabi, Australia finished the competition in 10^th position in the WorldSkills International rankings.

WorldSkills Australia CEO Brett Judd said the goal in 2019 was to “maintain and improve on Australia’s top 10 finish”.

“Representing Australia at the World Championships, which can be likened to a skill Olympics, would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Skills Squad team members and we are committed to provide them with the best opportunity to prove that they should be selected to compete in Russia next year,” he said.

“Many of the skills being represented are in the skills shortage areas for Australia. For WorldSkills to have outstanding competitors in these areas is very encouraging and an absolute credit to the competitors, their training providers and employers.”

Mr Judd congratulated them on their selection as a Skills Squad team member and said Skills Squad members would need to show dedication, commitment and excellence to be chosen to represent Australia in Russia.

“It’s wonderful to see the opportunities these young people are being given through their trades and skills.”

Mr Judd also recognised and congratulated the training managers on their appointments and applauded them for their commitments to developing their industries and mentoring the Skills Squad members.

A training camp will be held in early September for Skills Squad members and their training managers to develop training programs.

For further information, images or to arrange an interview with a member of the Skills Squad please contact:

Media contact:

Brenna Watson-Paul, Marketing Manager, WorldSkills Australia
bwatsonpaul@worldskills.org.au