It’s been likened to the Olympics. But instead of sports, the 40th WorldSkills Competition showcases the world’s best and brightest young people skilled in the trades and technologies.
From September 1 to 7, more than 900 youth from 51 countries and regions have gathered in Calgary to compete for medals in everything from carpentry to cooking, mobile robotics to landscape gardening, and auto-body repair to web design.
The high-performance competition, which takes place every two years, aims to inspire youth to pursue careers and excellence in the skilled trades and technologies while addressing the skills shortage faced by industries around the world, including in Canada.
“Projections on the emerging labour force of the next couple of decades are clear: If tradespeople work hard, embrace new technologies and stay current in their expertise, they will have long and rewarding careers,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the opening ceremonies on Tuesday.
Shaun Thorson is executive director of Skills/ Compétences Canada, a not-for-profit organization based in Gatineau, Quebec, that works with employers, educators, labour groups, and governments to promote careers in skilled trades.
“We have an aging population,” he said. “In the next three to five years, we’ll see a lot of people leaving the workforce as a result of retirement, so we need to make sure we have adequate numbers of people to replace them.
“One avenue to do that is to make sure our young people are aware of the occupations that exist, and how they can get involved through apprenticeship programs or their technical colleges, polytechnic institutes, and community colleges.”
Skills/Compétences Canada, along with WorldSkills International and Skills Canada Alberta, is one of the key organizations providing support to WorldSkills Calgary 2009 to host this year’s event.
The organizers note that by 2020, Canada will be facing a labour shortage of nearly one million.
From September 1 to 7, more than 900 youth from 51 countries and regions have gathered in Calgary to compete for medals in everything from carpentry to cooking, mobile robotics to landscape gardening, and auto-body repair to web design.
The high-performance competition, which takes place every two years, aims to inspire youth to pursue careers and excellence in the skilled trades and technologies while addressing the skills shortage faced by industries around the world, including in Canada.
“Projections on the emerging labour force of the next couple of decades are clear: If tradespeople work hard, embrace new technologies and stay current in their expertise, they will have long and rewarding careers,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the opening ceremonies on Tuesday.
Shaun Thorson is executive director of Skills/ Compétences Canada, a not-for-profit organization based in Gatineau, Quebec, that works with employers, educators, labour groups, and governments to promote careers in skilled trades.
“We have an aging population,” he said. “In the next three to five years, we’ll see a lot of people leaving the workforce as a result of retirement, so we need to make sure we have adequate numbers of people to replace them.
“One avenue to do that is to make sure our young people are aware of the occupations that exist, and how they can get involved through apprenticeship programs or their technical colleges, polytechnic institutes, and community colleges.”
Skills/Compétences Canada, along with WorldSkills International and Skills Canada Alberta, is one of the key organizations providing support to WorldSkills Calgary 2009 to host this year’s event.
The organizers note that by 2020, Canada will be facing a labour shortage of nearly one million.
