Only a week to go until the start of WorldSkills 2019, when Kazan will be transformed into the international meeting place for the Skills community. We’ve done some research and have gathered the main information and programme items related to WorldSkills in Russia for you.
It all kicks off in the Russian metropolis on 22 August, with the opening ceremony in the Kazan Arena marking the official start of the WorldSkills competitions. Around 45,000 visitors from a great many countries worldwide are expected to attend this highlight event. Then, for the next four days, the 1,600 competitors from 63 countries will need to give their full concentration – because that’s when the competitions in 56 skills and trades will be held at the Kazan Expo, a venue built especially for this purpose.

Several side events will also be of interest, of course, such as the major WorldSkills Conference, for instance, which also starts on 23 August under the heading of “Skills for Change: Building Blocks for Impact”. The first two conference days will deal primarily with global challenges and possible solutions for tomorrow’s economy, with experts from various fields taking the podium to offer insights into developments of worldwide interest.

Another topic in the spotlight is “Future skills”. A separate zone resembling a Smart City, which has been developed and constructed at the venue especially for this purpose, will deal with how the workplace is changing and which jobs and trades will be most in demand in the future. The interactive design of this zone will enable visitors to learn about the history and development of the various skills and about the most important technological trends in Russia.
WorldSkills is also offering an interesting programme for younger people: WorldSkills Juniors, a competition especially for young people aged 14 to 16, in which five teams will compete in various skills and trades and demonstrate their knowledge and expertise.
Things turn particularly exciting again on 26 August when, in the final, thrilling seconds of the competitions, the visitors cheer on “their” favourites as loud as they can until the final horn sounds and the tension and concentration of the competitors tails off. On the same day, the experts will convene and review the performance of each of the competitors in order to decide which country is to take the gold medal home. However, the excitement will be carried over to the following day and the closing ceremony back in the Kazan Arena, as that’s when the competitors find out how they did and whether they’ve managed to win a medal. The grand closing ceremony is another top highlight of WorldSkills Kazan and, once again, around 45,000 spectators are expected to gather in the Kazan Arena to cheer on their countries and competitors. The programme will include showdance, other performances, and of course – most importantly – the medal ceremonies.