Last weekend saw the passing of the greatest event on the trades and skills calendar- the WorldSkills National Finals. SkillsOne was there over the three days to capture the passion, emotions, skills and stories of the participating trades’ men and women. All these stories and more can be viewed on SkillsOne. These stories feature the competitors, family supporters and teachers.
We should also note the effort of the World Skills volunteers and the support of TAFE who provided much of the equipment and resources to make the competition possible and the teachers who pass on the skills and knowledge.
The 2008 Trades and Skills Teacher of the Year Awards were established to do just that-to remember and recognise those trades and skills teachers who work with dedication to achieve the very best outcomes for their students and industry. Trades and skills teachers can nominate themselves or be nominated by student’s colleagues or industry. Awards close for nomination on the 5th September. Please visit The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence website for more information.
There are other fantastic and free additions to skillsone.com.au that I simply must mention. One+1 our new, fresh and quite funky online magazine or ezine as it’s called, launched onto the SkillsOne homepage recently. One+1 is a great read and simply it’s the future, the environmental impact of this type of magazine is very low. We have a fabulous competition with a chance to win a day in a TV studio and the content is witty, smart and fun. There are stories on the athletes with a trades and skills background who are going to Beijing and lots of current entertainment ‘stars’ are also featured so I’m sure it will be widely received by our younger audience. Read it here
By the way - SkillsOne celebrates its 1st birthday this week! Congratulations to all involved and thanks to our many supporters across trades and vocational skills, parents, students and career advisors.
That’s all from me this week. Hope you all keep warm and well.

Brian Wexham
Chief Executive Officer
The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence