Russia wins EuroSkills 2021: with 27 medals, the team secures first place in World Skills Europe’s medals ranking, closely followed by Austria (26 medals) and France with a total of 13 medals.

26.9.2021: A brilliant closing ceremony at the Messe Congress Graz (MCG) exhibition centre, with an audience of around 3,000, marked the end of the vocational skills championships EuroSkills. “It was a true showcase of outstanding professional performances that we have seen over the past few days in Graz”, stressed the President of WorldSkills Europe, Dita Traidas. “With these European Skills Championships we have informed people all over the world about the importance of vocational education and training.” The top-scoring performances were rewarded with medals during the Closing Ceremony, with Russia taking home more than any other country. The host country for the next European Skills Championships finished at the top of World Skills Europe’s medal table, with 13 gold, six silver and eight bronze medals. The umbrella organisation did not include the ten presentation skills in its medal count.

Austria came second from top of the medal ranking for the fourth time, with Team Austria picking up eleven gold, twelve silver and ten bronze medals, as well as four “Medaillons of Excellence” awarded for outstanding performances. After Austria came France with 13 medals, followed in close succession by Switzerland (12 medals) and Germany (9). Overall, competitors from 15 nations were awarded medals. The “Jos de Goey Best In Europe” award for the best competitor overall went to Russia. At the end of the ceremony, Josef Herk handed over the EuroSkills flag to St. Petersburg, host of the next European Skills Championships. The next European Skills Championships will be held in Russia in 2023.

More photos from the Closing Ceremony and all the Winners can be found on the EuroSkills 2021 Flickr-Account.

Three different education systems, three different Young Professionals, but one and the same goal at EuroSkills: To represent their country as well as they can, and ideally to win a medal.

24 September 2021: The routes taken by the young people to end up at European Skills Championships are many and varied. The Austrian EuroSkills competitor and electrician Stefan Prader, from Styria, explains his career path in detail: “After four years of primary school and four years of lower secondary school, I attended a pre-apprenticeship training college. For me, it was clear from the beginning that I was going to take this route to prepare for an apprenticeship. During the pre-vocational year you have plenty of time to get to know your trade in detail, after all – that’s what this year is for. During each year of my apprenticeship training I spent nine and a half weeks at vocational college, where I was able to focus completely on the classes. I then completed my apprenticeship training in 2016 and was a qualified skilled worker from that point on.” So that he will also be able to run a business in the future, the 24-year-old has recently started studying for the technical qualification examination at the WIFI Steiermark training institution, part of the Styrian Economic Chamber. “The course requires attendance at 600 hours of lessons over ten months. The technical qualification examination is on the same level as the title of ‘master’ used for other skills and trades, which in turn is equivalent to the ‘Bachelor’ level, i.e. level 6 of the Austrian Qualifications Framework.”

A similar education and training route sounds quite different in Switzerland, as reported by electrician Simon Koch: “In Switzerland, elementary school lasts five years. I then went to secondary school, which lasts another four years. After that, you can decide to follow an apprenticeship or study for the final school-leaving examination, which qualifies you for admission to university. I went for an apprenticeship and completed my training with the vocational college-leaving examination.” Apprenticeship training in Switzerland differs from that in Austria in one key area: in Switzerland, you spend one to one-and-a-half days per week at vocational college, and the rest of the week in a company. Simon was the first ever candidate to be nominated for a Skills championship by Bütler Elektro Telecom AG. Having completed his basic training, Simon has just enrolled for a part-time degree at a university of applied sciences. “My degree course started last week. If all goes according to plan, I’ll have completed my Bachelor’s degree in four years and will be a qualified electrical engineer.”

Lisa Marie Winding from Italy went to elementary school for five years, then spent three years at lower secondary school, followed by a one-year basic course at vocational college. She then trained as an apprentice hairdresser for four years. She, too, attended vocational college for one day each week and spent four years working for a company. The 24-year-old could have set up her own hairdressing salon as soon as she completed her apprenticeship training: “You are automatically entitled to do this when you complete your initial apprenticeship training. Previously, this was only allowed once you had become a master hairdresser, but this changed. However, as I have not yet qualified to that level I am only allowed to train one apprentice in my salon.” Lisa Marie will need to pass four exams within six years if she wants to earn the title of master hairdresser: “It would involve taking courses in business, law, education and skills of the trade.”

Three different education systems, three different Young Professionals, but one and the same goal at EuroSkills: to represent their country as well as they can, and ideally to win a medal.

More photos from the EuroSkills 2021 Competition can be found on our Flickr-Account.

 

Photos Gallery (c) EuroSkills2021/Hobiger.

With plenty of drama and excitement, the 48 competitions at the European Skills Championships in Austria finally came to an end. Over 30,000 spectators in total came along to watch on the three competition days.

25.9. 2021: They were filing, painting and bricklaying right up until the last few seconds. Under massive pressure and with huge interest from spectators, the 400 or so participants once again threw all they had into delivering top-level performances in their respective skills and trades. One thing is certain: they’ve far exceeded the organisers’ expectations. More than 30,000 spectators visited the event in person over the three days of contests. On the final competition day, the event premises reached maximum capacity.

The nail-biting final showdown at the European Skills Championships piqued the interest of decision-makers from politics, business and sport, with figures including Federal Minister Martin Kocher, Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer and world downhill skiing champion Nicole Schmidhofer unable to resist the thrill of the final sprints. The guests also included Styrian provincial ministers Johann Seitinger, Ursula Lackner and Doris Kampus, as well as senior representatives from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, high-ranking delegations from the provincial chambers and decision-makers from regional and international businesses.

The last minutes of the competitions were marked by high tension and much emotion among the competitors, experts and spectators.

EuroSkills Heroes Lisa und Kevin were on hand throughout the day with cameras and a microphone.

More photos from the final Competition Day can be found on the EuroSkills 2021 Flickr-Account.

According to a recent survey by WorldSkills International, skills and trades are becoming increasingly digital – which means that the European Skills Championships are therefore also a contest of digital technologies.

20 September 2021: Apart from technical skills, experience and nerves of steel are also needed ‒ and, to an increasing extent, digital literacy as well. Out of the 56 international skills and trades, about two thirds on average use digital technologies. As far as databases and online communication tools are concerned, the degree of digitalisation in the skills and trades is almost at 100 per cent. This is backed by the results of a recent survey published by the umbrella organisation WorldSkills International. “At the vocational skills championships, our skilled workers of tomorrow will prove that they are highly trained in traditional craftsmanship as well as in handling modern technologies,” emphasises the Supervisory Chairman of EuroSkills 2021, Josef Herk. “In order to keep pace with the trend for digital transformation, more and more new digital skills and trades are becoming established and existing job profiles are being modernised,” says Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister of Digital and Economic Affairs. For Stefan Praschl, Vice President of World Skills Europe, the survey is proof “that digital tools have also become indispensable in dual education, in order to meet modern-day requirements.”

Traditional craftsmanship is becoming increasingly digital

Even in traditional crafts and trades such as carpentry or construction, the digital transformation is becoming increasingly evident. In carpentry, for example, a completely new additional career profile has been created with the skill of Carpentry Technology (which include specialist modules in planning and production): Work assignments are registered and planned using digital tools, and even the pre-fabrication is done using programmed CNC milling machines. State-of-the-art, high-precision digital tools have long since made the traditional planing machine redundant. The construction sector is also seeing a real digitalisation boom, with digital modelling disciplines such as Building Information Modelling becoming established. Apprentices in construction have recently been equipped with tablets so that they learn to use modern tools. And it was not long ago that the ground was laid for the career of “digital production technician” ‒ a digitally oriented, add-on training module for prospective metal technicians and mechatronics technicians.

New skills and trades

“Digitalisation is transforming the world of work massively. With our campaign to push digitalisation in the dual education scheme, our aim is for young people to complete their training as highly skilled workers. That’s why we are modernising existing job profiles and creating new skills and trades,” explains Federal Minister Schramböck, who is responsible for Digital and Economic Affairs. Only this month, September, two new skills have been created: as well as “Application Development – Coding”, anyone interested can now also do an apprenticeship in “Information Technology”.

More photos from the EuroSkills 2021 Competition can be found on the official Flickr-Account.

Photos Gallery: 1 (c) EuroSkills2021/Oberländer; 2 (c) EuroSkills2021/Winter; 3 (c) EuroSkills2021/Hobiger; 4 (c) EuroSkills2021/Oberländer; 5 (c) EuroSkills2021/Winter; 6 (c) EuroSkills2021/Oberländer.

An event of the scale of EuroSkills would be impossible: without an army of volunteers. The European Skills Championships in the Graz region are being supported by around 400 volunteers from 28 countries, including South Africa, Russia and Switzerland.

24.9.2021: Their tasks are many and varied, as Selina Gödl, Hannah Bergler and David Till, all from Styria, report: “School requires us to do an internship at EuroSkills, and during these few days we are responsible for keeping the competitors supplied with food and water. We also need to ensure that there are always enough cups available,” say Selina and Hannah in unison. The media team know they can rely on Hannah Gross. The 22-year-old student (of tourism and health management at the university of applied sciences in the Styrian town of Bad Gleichenberg) explains: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s something you really need to do once.”

EuroSkills is a very special event for volunteer Lituwete Laanakushe Noaeoapo from South Africa, as he is going to be involved again next year at WorldSkills Africa in Namibia. “I’ve already been to WorldSkills when it was held in Kazan, as for me it’s important to gain experience.” Elisabeth Boryskina from the Ukraine is working in the accreditation office: “I love helping, and I’m enjoying meeting new people here. The job is very challenging, but I love the work.” Alena Golubeva from Russia is also working in the accreditation office. For 49-year-old Mirko Lehnherr from Zurich, it’s his fifth time helping at EuroSkills: “It is relaxed here, but very professional,” says the vocational school teacher as he reflects on his first impressions.

Thank you to all the volunteers for your tireless efforts – you have become a real part of the Skills Family!

More than 10,000 school students visiting on the competition days discovered the “Try a Skill” stations, to find out which skills and trades suited them best and to uncover their hidden talents. 

24.9.2021: Whether it’s making sparks fly, mixing cocktails or controlling robots, while the 400 or so international experts are battling it out for medals in disciplines like these as part of the European Skills Championships, interested onlookers can try their hand at these same skill categories…without the pressure, in their case. The 27 or so “Try a Skill” stations, which are located right alongside the EuroSkills competition area at the event venue, offer school students the chance to dive into the great variety of skills and trades – and even get expert guidance from our Heroes and past gold medallists. “With ‘Try a Skill’, we’re enabling young people to find out about new jobs and technologies in a fun way and discover their hidden talents,” stresses Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Styrian Minister for Economic Affairs. “The initiative demonstrates the great variety and appeal of vocational education, and will give the skilled workforce of tomorrow a valuable impetus for their future careers,” she says.

“Drop by, give it a try, and discover hidden talent,” is the invitation from EuroSkills supporter Gerhard Fabisch, Chairman of the Management Board of Steiermärkische Sparkasse bank. Styrian Director of Education, Elisabeth Meixner, is keen to point out that “EuroSkills has evolved into a unique opportunity for countless young people to measure their skills and talents against one another and to show them off in front of a large audience. We are thrilled that the competition is being held in Styria for the first time, and wish everyone taking part the best of success during this unforgettable experience.”

More impressions from the Competitions and the “Try a Skill stations” can be found on the EuroSkills 2021 Flickr-Account.

24.9.2021: The second competition day also dawned bright and sunny, with perfect conditions for the competitors: made possible not only by the competition and operations team, but also by the 70 or so workshop managers, the experts, the many volunteers and helpers, and especially by the Competition Committee of the umbrella organisation WorldSkills Europe. The fair and excellent competitive conditions were just one factor; the financing of the best possible equipment and the supply of top-quality materials and machinery also played a key role. This funding was provided by the promotors and around 150 sponsors, who were invited to a sponsor and partner lunch by way of thanks. The second day also saw other prominent figures arriving at the competition site. Bischof Krautwaschl appeared enthusiastic and posed for pictures with the EuroSkills Heroes, with the aim of drumming up further support for the Try-a-Skill stations.

Our Heroes Melanie und Fabian, in their role as roving reporters, provided an overview of what happened on Day 2 and managed to get a few people in front of the microphone.

More pics from the Competitions and the Sponsor Lunch can be found on the EuroSkills 2021 Flickr-Account.

23.09.2021. Strict safety precautions are in place on site, with the vaccination rate for all officials from abroad standing at around 90 per cent. The 2,020 Covid tests conducted so far have not resulted in a single positive case. This is also thanks to the strict safety precautions, whereby competitors and all 1,200 officials – including competitors, delegates, experts, coaches and organisation teams – are tested every 24 hours. Visitors must provide evidence of vaccination or recovery, or a negative Covid test. As well as the large event site, designed to avoid huge crowds gathering, a one-way system has been put in place to ensure social distancing. Visitors are advised to wear a government-approved mask (FFP2), but there is no obligation to do so.

Glorious sunshine, leading representatives from national and federal government, famous folk singer Andreas Gabalier, ideal competition conditions and thousands of enthusiastic young people all made for a perfect start to the first competition day.

23.9.2021. The showdown of vocational excellence has started: over three days of competitions, around 400 international competitors from 19 nations ‒ and the guest countries of Albania, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates ‒ will be battling it out for gold, silver and bronze. There has already been a great deal of interest from the visitors on the first competition day, with around 7,500 people having already registered for the opening day alone. A total of 25,000 visitors have booked to attend the European Skills Championships between now and Sunday, including 10,000 school students on the first two competition days.

And, what’s more, the federal ministers Heinz Fassmann and Elisabeth Köstinger and the Styrian provincial minister Barbara Eibinger-Miedl ensured strong representation from national and local politics. But what would the competition kick-off have been without celebrity patron and enthusiastic skills supporter Andreas Gabalier? The famous folk singer couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit the contests. He was visibly inspired by the highly motivated competitors during his tour of the site, posing for numerous selfies and attracting a great deal of attention on social media with his appearance.

Our EuroSkills Heroes and ambassadors Birgit and Manfred were on duty as roving reporters on the first competition day, getting celebrities, sponsors, workshop managers, experts and many more interviewees in front of the microphone.

More pics from the Competition Days can be found on the EuroSkills 2021 Flickr-Account.