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We congratulate all those who participated and wish to acknowledge all the winners from the 2023 National Championships, held in Melbourne on 17-19 August.

180 young apprentices and trainees were presented with medals at a ceremony on Sunday evening, which was attended by the Honourable  Gayle Tierney MLC, Minister for Training and Skills, Higher Education and Agriculture, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP and invited guests.

Just under 27,000 visitors attended the event, with the majority comprising school students seeking to learn more about the opportunities that vocational, technological and service-oriented careers can unlock. The Honourable Brendan O’Connor MP, Minister for Skills and Training was given a guided tour of the halls for a preview before the event opened to the public.

The winners came from across 59 skills, including plumbing, hairdressing, cyber security, cookery and many more.

Winners from the National Championships may be eligible to be considered for selection in the National Team, who will represent Australia at the 47th WorldSkills International Competition, to be held in Lyon in September 2024.

The National Championships was supported by almost 300 volunteers, including judges, site crew, skill managers, assessment advisors and team leaders.

Our CEO, Trevor Schwenke, said: “We were thrilled to bring our biggest and best National Championships to our hometown of Melbourne. It was terrific to see the number of participants across such a vast range of skill categories. We are looking forward to working with each state and territory to make our 2025 Brisbane Championships even bigger.”

The National Championships was a filming location for the Channel 7 Better Homes and Gardens crew, with presenters Johanna Griggs, Adam Dovile and Aimee Stanton meeting our competitors and experts across many of the skills at the MCEC and offsite.

WorldSkills Australia would like to acknowledge and thank the following key partners and sponsors:

– National Careers Institute
– Apprenticeships Victoria
– Bunnings Trade

We would also like to thank its industry Partners, Supporters, and the Training Providers in each state, who collaborated with WorldSkills Australia and provided their facilities, equipment and resources to ensure the event was successful.

 

Watch the WSA Livestreams See all our photos from the event

2025 National Championships - Brisbane

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    • What is WorldSkills Australia?

    At WorldSkills Australia, we want one thing: for young Australians to have access to vocational education and training that measures up on an international stage.

    Why? Because we know that skills and trades are critical for building thriving economies, productive communities and confident young members of society. We know that skills excellence opens up career pathways and opportunities for our young people. And we know that skills and trades shape the world around us.

    The main way we support skills excellence in Australia is through our skills competitions – which we’ve been running for over 40 years. Skill competitions happen at a regional, national and international level, and allow young people to benchmark their skill level against their peers.

    Competitors who do well at a regional competition are invited to compete at the national championships, where tens of thousands of spectators watch Australia’s best trades and skills talent compete. From there, you may even be asked to join the Skills Squad, where you’ll have the opportunity to travel internationally and test yourself against the best trades and skills talent in the world.

    Competing in a WorldSkills competition opens up pathways you never even thought possible. Get started on your journey today.

     

     

    WSA LIVE

    Competition Day 1

    Competition Day 2

    Competition Day 3

    Closing Ceremony

     

     

    “Despite being a truly chaotic time and being very uncertain at times I think that I have undoubtably become a more confident and sure person at the end of all this. I really enjoyed the experience of representing my country and being able to learn about other skills that weren’t just jewellery through watching the training of the other Skillaroos. I don’t think I could recommend WorldSkills enough to anyone looking to get into it. It’ll put you through the fires of challenge and adversity but you’ll come out a stronger and wiser person on the other side. Thank you very much to everyone who has helped me along the way and all the support I’ve received from not just my expert but everyone on the WorldSkills Australia team. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you all.”

    Charles Farrar

    Gold Medal in Jewellery at the 2021 WorldSkills National Championships