The 2008 WorldSkills General Assembly (GA) will be held 7th - 11th September this year in Vienna, Austria. It is set to be a large, vibrant and productive event, and will run concurrently with the WorldSkills Leaders Forum (WSLF) and the WorldSkills Youth Forum (WSYF).
At the General Assembly meeting, the WorldSkills International Technical and Strategy Committees will convene, along with the WorldSkills International General Assembly which will be the platform to decide who will host the 42nd WorldSkills competition in 2013.
Next year, the International event will be held in Calgary, Canada, followed by London two years later, in 2011.
The WorldSkills competition is becoming an integral part of many countries' solution to skills shortages and so the chance to host the global event is highly sought after and strongly contested. The bids are also becoming more extensive, with greater promises of media attention and evironmental sustainability.
The WorldSkills Leaders Forum (WSLF) will feature keynote presentations from leading figures in government, industry and education across Europe. This forum is a unique and exclusive event which offers interactive activities promoting innovation, inspiration and networking to all those with a stake in promoting world class skills.
WSLF is an annual global event on the most topical themes, based on input from delegates and members. The forum itself serves as an annual kick-start for the networking process, striving to exploit and develop the power of WorldSkills International's global network to meet the needs of industry and commerce and those who train them - to the mutual benefit of all concerned.
The WorldSkills Youth Forum (WSYF) is for a select group of past competitors, which aims to actively encourage and support the growth of past competitor alumni networks and associated youth activities within WorldSkills International and its Member Organisations, and to widen and deepen the effectiveness of WorldSkills International in line with its vision and mission.
WSYF is an important event in the WorldSkills International calendar as it is a vital stage for competitors' voices to be effectively heard, celebrated and acted upon. Indeed, the theme for 2008's Youth Forum is entitled 'WorldSkills Champions on the World Stage'.
The WorldSkills Youth Forum was first held in Melbourne, Australia in 2006.
