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The WorldSkills Team South Africa has flown to France, where they will represent the country at the 47th WorldSkills International Competition taking place this week in Lyon.
The competition provides an opportunity to exchange skills, experiences, and technological innovations. In South Africa, the WorldSkills initiative is championed by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
The competition serves as an effective platform to raise awareness about apprenticeships and artisanal skills, enhancing the standard of vocational education and training, and promoting artisanal skills.
The initiative aligns with the department’s ‘Decade of the Artisan’ programme, addressing the critical shortage of skilled artisans in the country.
The WorldSkills Competition aims to encourage young people, including high school learners and tertiary students, to consider artisanship as a career choice, thereby alleviating the skills shortage in the country.
The DHET said the South African competitors, under the banner of WorldSkills SA, come from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, Technical High Schools, or students undertaking studies towards a Diploma at a University of Technology, and private training colleges.
The department said the 47th WorldSkills International Competition will feature over 1,500 competitors from 65 countries across the world, competing in 61 skills from 10-15 September.
The skills will be divided into six sectors, including construction and building technology, social and personal services, creative arts and fashion, information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering technology, and transportation and logistics.
The department highlighted that competitions offer participants, not only those from South Africa, huge benefits and opportunities.
“It is about more than just winning and taking the prize home. WorldSkills competitions in general, including the WorldSkills International Competition, create opportunities for learners to become the very best version of themselves possible.
“They offer life-changing pathways and opportunities that involve additional study and work experience. The WorldSkills South Africa (WSZA) programme plays a critical role in building bridges between all stakeholders within the apprenticeship and artisan development arena,” the department said.
WSZA’s aim is to further develop the skills of the many young people who participate in WorldSkills South Africa events and to build their networking and communication skills. This is done by taking direction from industry peers and benchmarking their skills against those they compete with in the industry.