The Austrian Council of Ministers pledges its support for the city of Graz’s bid to host EuroSkills 2020 – a winning bid would provide an international showcase for Austria’s successful “dual vocational system”

Vienna (Ministry for Science, Research and Economics) – On Tuesday the Council of Ministers voted to support Austria’s bid to host EuroSkills 2020 in Graz at the request of the Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs, Reinhold Mitterlehner. “At the European skills competitions held every two years, Europe’s best skilled workers demonstrate their proficiency. If Graz wins the bid to host this event, this would be a win-win situation for the training of our skilled workers and for Austria as a whole”, said the Minister. It would be a great success and a strong signal if EuroSkills 2020 were to be hosted in the country where the system for training skilled workers ranks among the very best. “Austria’s dual vocational system is a successful model that is the envy of other countries. The European championships in Graz would provide the perfect platform for showcasing the high standards of our educational system and the excellence of our skilled workers,” continued Mittlerlehner.

To date, the only international skills competitions to have been held in Austria took place in Linz in 1983. “Now, 33 years later, we hope that EuroSkills will again take place in our home country. After all, we are the reigning European Champions”, said the Minister. The venue for 2020 will be decided at the end of April at the general assembly of WorldSkills Europe. The toughest rival is Helsinki. “We support the Graz bid and want to show that Austria has the best conditions to host the event”, affirmed the Austrian Minister for Economic Affairs.