Media Releases
Day 3 Daily Report from WorldSkills Calgary 2009
CALGARY, September 5, 2009 --As the third day of the WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Competition came to a close, Delegates were eager to find out how many of their Competitors made it into the top five. For the first time in the history of the WorldSkills Competition, the five leading Competitors in many skills are being announced daily, in random order.
At the end day three's Competition, Korea led the world with 13 Competitors listed in the top five in their Competition categories. The other delegations with highly successful teams included Japan with 11 in the top five placements, France with 10.
Canadians enjoyed strong placement, with Marc-Olivier Bélanger in Welding, Jonathan Arbour in Cabinetmaking, Scott Blair in Carpentry and Brian Everts in Aircraft Maintenance all placing in the top five.
More than 25,000 people visited the park on day three of Competition and many were met by volunteers.
"WorldSkills Calgary 2009 could not happen without the help and support of our volunteers," said Richard Walker, President and CEO of WorldSkills Calgary 2009. "As we go through our third day of competition is it amazing to see all the people who have come out to donate their time."
More than 3,500 volunteers from across Canada have participated in WorldSkills Calgary 2009.
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.
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.
