Michael Harvey Chief Executive of CareerOne presents the “CareerOne Best Performed Competitor” award at the WorldSkills Presentation ceremony 2010.

"The Hon Geoff Wilson, Minister for Education & Training, Jeanette Allen, Chair of WorldSkills Australia, Mr Mark Callaghan, CEO of WorldSkills Australia, Ladies and Gentleman and most importantly the competitors involved in the World Skills Australia National Competition, I would like to say Good evening to you all.

This evening marks the culmination of an amazing weekend of competition, one which has brought together many of Australia’s best, across a wide range of categories. I am extremely happy to be here tonight to present the 'CareerOne Best Performed Competitor' award out of this weekend’s events.

CareerOne is Australia’s 2nd largest job board and is a joint venture between News Limited and Monster, the US based leader in job boards internationally. At CareerOne we have now supported World Skills for three years and to us, there can be few worthier causes than assisting these wonderful ambassadors for their chosen vocation in such worthwhile endeavours.

This weekend, we have all had the privilege of watching the young men and women in this room compete in national competition for the right to be selected as part of The Skillaroos to compete at the next WorldSkills Competition to be held in London in 2011. I am in no doubt that what World Skills Australia does is highlight true world class excellence in skills and these young people before us today have that in spades.

Australia is an inherently competitive nation. Whether it is on the sporting fields, or participating in an event such as this, it brings out the best in the individual. Whereas sporting heroes are generally looked up to, and are often positioned as role models, the competitors this weekend, and those selected for The Skillaroos, may not be afforded such applause and recognition. However, I say to you that they should be afforded similar status. They are athletes in many respects – the training they undertake and the competition they engage in assures them of such status. But they are also elite craftsmen and women, and their inherent skills are also nation building skills – they possess what Australia needs to create a strong nation with a strong economy going forward. Australia needs more of what we have seen here this weekend. If we are to continue to thrive and prosper as a nation we will need so many of the skills represented here this weekend.

The competitors here this weekend, and particularly those who go on to represent Australia will be like other elite athletes, their time in competition will be short but unlike other athletes their time of application of their world class skills will not diminish at all as the years go by they will continue to use them. They will, I am sure, develop successful careers, take on apprentices and train people and many of them will build businesses that will employ others and further allow the application of their skills to the good of the country.

And if we don’t want to face the skills shortages in the future that bedevilled us before we went into the recent global downturn, then it is incumbent upon us to ensure that these world class young people in front of us today are seen as role models in every school in Australia, so that all of our young people strive for greatness and understand what can be achieved through following a career in the vocational skills area.

In everything that we do in our lives there can be no greater goal or challenge than the pursuit of excellence. The young men and women that we have seen here this weekend are engaged in the ultimate pursuit of excellence in skills for themselves and hopefully the country. At CareerOne we have great pride in supporting each and every one of them on their march to excellence and potentially, world recognition.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would now like to announce the winner of the 'CareerOne Best performed Competitor Award' for 2010 is Alexis Scott from Western Australia in the Hairdressing category"