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Day 2 Daily Report from WorldSkills Calgary 2009

CALGARY, September 4, 2009 -- CALGARY, September 4, 2009 - More than 20,000 students attended the second day of competition at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

"The student spectators at WorldSkills Calgary 2009 are learning so much from their presence here. It is evident they are inspired," said Richard Walker, President and CEO of WorldSkills Calgary 2009. "You can hear the excitement in the crowd as they watch the unique hairstyles showcased by our talented ladies/men's hairdressing competitors, or they see Canadian flags made solely from plumbing materials being mounted on the wall."

In day two's Competition, Japan led the way with 16 Competitors in the top five. The other delegations with highly successful Competitors today included Switzerland with nine in the top five placements and Sweden with eight competitors placing top five in their fields.

Four Canadian competitors placed in the top five in their skills.

Total attendance during the second day of competition totaled more than 30,000 and included members of the general public in addition to the students, volunteers and competitors.

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