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Recommended Events, Activities and Competitions for Day Two, September 3, 2009

CALGARY, September 3, 2009 -- For the first time in the history of the WorldSkills Competition, the five leading Competitors in selected skills are being announced following each competition day, in random order, so that enthusiasts in Calgary and around the world can watch events unfold. Final results and medalists will be announced at the Closing Ceremony on September 6, 2009.

The WorldSkills Competition is a celebration of excellence that encourages and promotes even greater achievement. It is about international exchange and participation. Yesterday, over 21,000 people were in attendance at the Competition, including Competitors, Delegates, Experts, volunteers, students and members of the public.

Competition in all 45 skills occurs simultaneously each day. Following a complex evaluation process after the first day of competition yesterday, teams of Experts in 15 of the skill areas reported the five leading Competitors in those categories.

Within these 15 reporting skill categories, France led the world with eight Competitors placing in the top five. The other delegations with highly successful Competitors in these categories included Canada and Switzerland, with five top five placements each, and Austria, Japan, Sweden, and the U.K. with four each.

"We had an eventful first day of competition yesterday," said Richard Walker, President and CEO of WorldSkills Calgary 2009. "One of the more dramatic moments was the speed competition in network cabling, which was stressful for the Competitors as many encountered materials they had not seen before. They had to assemble accurate connections in series, completing as many as they could in half an hour. Watching young pastry chefs create sculptures out of marzipan was another highlight from the day. The excitement in the competition halls is palpable."

Among smaller delegations, Tunisia stood out yesterday. Saidi Mossab, one of just five Tunisian Competitors, placed in the top five positions in the electronics competition.
The five Canadians with top five placements are: Marc-Olivier Bélanger of Quebec, Welding; Simon Beauchamp of Quebec, Offset Printing; Scott Blair of Ontario, Carpentry; Matthew Chadder of Alberta, IT PC/Network Support; Brian Everts of British Columbia, Aircraft Maintenance.

For more information about the 40th WorldSkills Competition unfolding now in Calgary, a full list of today's top five by category, and links to a variety of informative stories, visit the website at http://media.worldskills.org. Broadcast quality video is also available at CNW's Broadcast on Demand service, at www.newswire.ca. For interview requests, please call the Media Centre to be connected to the appropriate person for each skill or country/region.

Media Centre: The Media Centre located at Stampede Park in the Agriculture Building offers equipment and staff resources to enable accredited media to cover these and other stories effectively and efficiently.
• Daily briefings take place at 9:30 a.m. MST
• Daily competition results by 12:00 a.m. MST
Off-site media are also encouraged to tap into the resources offered either virtually ‘on line' or by contacting the Media Centre directly at 403-617-4798. 

 

Broadcast Quality B-Roll Available at 3:00 MT daily:
Go to www.newswire.com and select WorldSkills Calgary 2009 and follow the prompts to register to receive a password in order to download the material.

For more information, please contact:

Karissa Boley, WorldSkills Media Centre, Phone: 403-988-2888

Laurie Stretch, WorldSkills Media Centre, Phone: 403-617-4798

Backgrounder: WorldSkills Calgary 2009
WorldSkills Calgary 2009 marks the second time Canada hosts this international event in its 59-year history. In May 2004, at the WorldSkills General Assembly in Hong Kong, Calgary officially won the right to host the WorldSkills Competition. The successful bid was made possible through collaboration with WorldSkills International's Canadian Member organization Skills/Compétences Canada and industry, educational institutions, government and the City of Calgary. WorldSkills Calgary 2009, a not-for-profit corporation is responsible for the planning, execution and legacy for the 40th WorldSkills Competition.

 

For the past five years, WorldSkills Calgary 2009 has been working closely with legacy, government, and industry partners to make the 40th WorldSkills Competition the most successful to date. Although the event is held from September 1 - 7, 2009, WorldSkills Calgary 2009 has been working with legacy partners to actively help the global skills movement that addresses labour shortage, competency standards, and education programs designed to motivate and encourage young adults to explore successful career options in skills, trades, and technologies.

 

Backgrounder: WorldSkills International

 

WorldSkills International's (WSI) mission is to promote, through the cooperative action of 51 Members countries/regions, a worldwide awareness of the essential contribution that skills and high standards of competence make to the achievement of economic success and personal fulfillment. WSI provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades, information technologies and service sectors of the global economy. WSI works at all levels from grassroots to senior policy makers to affect change in training procedures, policy development and international standards. Through advocacy, education and Competitions, WorldSkills International is raising the level of competences throughout the world and bringing new awareness to these crucial sectors in the global economy. Without skills there is no economy.

worldskills.org

Skills/Compétences Canada

Skills/Compétences Canada (S/CC) was founded in 1989 as a national, not-for-profit organization to actively promote careers in skilled trades and technologies to Canadian youth. S/CC works with private and public sector partners to help secure Canada's future skilled labour needs while helping Canadian youth discover rewarding careers. S/CC offers experiential learning opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians including skills, trades, and technologies competitions through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skills, trades, and technologies awareness programs. Headquartered in Canada's National Capital Region Skills/Compétences Canada is the Canadian Member organization of WorldSkills International and in partnership with other stakeholders created the 40th WorldSkills Competition event organizing committee WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

skillscanada.com