What do you call an event where the spotlight is on young, motivated skilled workers, and the competition that unfolds before the audience is both strenuous and nerve-racking? The answer is EuroSkills, the vocational skills championships. But what is EuroSkills and how did it all start? And, even more importantly, what do you have to do in order to take part?
The vocational skills championships EuroSkills make up the flagship event of the non-profit membership association “WorldSkills Europe”, whose stated mission is to raise the profile of vocational education and highlight the importance of highly qualified, skilled workers. The organisation WorldSkills Europe was founded in 2007 and has grown to include a total of 28 member states, which regularly send competitors to the vocational skills championships.

EuroSkills – an event with wide appeal

The EuroSkills mega event itself is held every two years in one of the 28 member countries. In 2018, the elite of up-and-coming skilled workers gathered in Budapest. And, in 2020, it will be Graz’s turn to be transformed into the hub for the new generation of skilled workers. Along with the 500 or so participants, a great many visitors are also expected to attend. When the event was held in Lille, France, the number of visitors even topped the 100,000 mark. The championships span several days and provide a showcase for participants to compete in around 45 skills and professions from the manufacturing, trade and service industries. The vocational skills championships have been staged since 2008, with the first such event taking place in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Six EuroSkills championships have been held since then, and Austria has never missed an opportunity to send its best prepared and most highly motivated teams. And with great success: with a total of 111 medals, young skilled workers from Austria have made us the most successful team ever and have demonstrated once again that they deserve to be among the best in Europe.

How you can qualify for EuroSkills

In order to be part of Team Austria at a EuroSkills championship, you must meet a number of conditions: you must be 25 years old or younger and have completed a vocational education programme. To qualify for EuroSkills you need to succeed in the national competitions, for example AustrianSkills. This event will be staged in Salzburg very soon (22 – 25 November 2018). The national championships will be followed by an intensive preparation phase. Professional and mental training as well as team coaching are key to success, but preparing for the European championships requires even more:

Following the team motto of “All for one and one for all”, the Austrian participants demonstrate year after year that a sound vocational education offers outstanding prospects for the future and that Austria’s dual vocational system is first-rate.
Our next blog post will cast the spotlight on “Best of Europe” 2018, Daniel Gerber, and the story of his career leading up to EuroSkills 2018 in Budapest.