Mark Callaghan, CEO Worldskills Australia
On Thursday the 27th of August, 26 young skill champions who make up the 2009 Team Australia Skillaroos will depart from Sydney to take on the world at the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada. They will compete in categories ranging from bricklaying, welding and construction metal work through to floristry, beauty therapy and web design and will pit their skills against competitors from up to 50 countries as they strive to be the best in the world.
The journey to the 40th WorldSkills Competition has been a long one and for the majority of the team it commenced in 2007 when they competed in a WorldSkills Australia Regional Competition. After tasting success at this level they progressed to the 2008 National Competition which was held in Darling Harbour, Sydney. It was after their efforts in Sydney that they embarked on the final stage of their WorldSkills journey, as they were selected to be a part of the 2009 Team Australia Skillaroos. Since the official launch of the team in November 2008, all of the Skillaroos have been engaged in a comprehensive training regime that aims to have them at the peak of their skills come Calgary.
A significant milestone in the training for the Skillaroos occurred in Newcastle last week (20 to 23 May) with the staging of the Simulated or Mock International Competition. In partnership with TAFE NSW and through the efforts of governments, training organisations and industry, as well as the vast WorldSkills volunteer network, we were able to include the Mock Competition as an important training exercise for Calgary which replicated, as closely as possible, the conditions of the International Competition. Over the 4 days of competition, all of the Skillaroos were tested in terms of their technical skills as well as their competition skills, while at the same time providing a fantastic opportunity for team bonds to be strengthened - something that will stand them in good stead as they battle their way through the rigours of competition in Calgary.
WorldSkills Australia has always enjoyed good relations with our neighbours ‘across the ditch' and we were pleased to be able to host 10 competitors from WorldSkills New Zealand - more commonly known as the Tool Blacks. In all cases we have been able to keep our New Zealand counterparts at bay but perhaps the most pleasing aspect to come out of the Mock Competition is that it has highlighted areas across all categories that require improvement if we are to be competitive on the world stage. To that end then, the Mock Competition has been a huge success as it has provided an ideal platform for all competitors to now concentrate on honing the skills that will be required to compete with the best in the world in the final lead up to the International Competition in Calgary.
After a short break for most of the Skillaroos following the Mock Competition, the intensity of the training with less than 100 days to go will again increase. Skills will be refined, new techniques will be mastered and a final Training Camp will be held at the Australia Institute of Sport in Canberra where our skill champions will rightly mix with other elite performers - Australian sporting champions.
In the lead up to the International competition, the Skillaroos will continue to show tremendous dedication and commitment as well as making many sacrifices as they all strive to improve on Australia's current ranking of 5th in the world. Some will return from Calgary with medals - some even with the title of the best in the world. All of them however, will return as role models for all young Australians who are contemplating their futures and as perfect examples for all Australians of what can be achieved in a trade or skills based career.
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Good luck 2009 Team Australia Skillaroos!
Mark