One of WorldSkills newest Members, Azerbaijan hosted its first national Web Programming competition as part of WorldSkills Year of Innovation.
The two-day event was also the latest example of the growing trend of sharing skills among Members, with WorldSkills Korea providing support in organizing and developing the test projects.
Held between 12-13 July at the Baku State Industry and Innovation VET Center, the contest began with a 15-question speed test to shortlist candidates from the more than 100 hundred who applied.
Under the rules, those up to age 21 could register, with the aim of selection to the Azerbaijan team for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

The 20 finalists were then given three modules to solve, with two hours allocated to complete each one.
The result was three winners, who received prizes that included education package from an IT education provider and internship opportunities.
Following the closing ceremony, a panel discussion was held on the topic “Digitalization of Education, What's on Perspective?".
Azerbaijan became a WorldSkills Member in 2020 as part of the State Agency for Vocational Education, under the Ministry of Education.
The organizers also thanked WorldSkills Korea, and its Web Technology Expert, Seung Lyul Ryu.
“Mr Ryu provided great support to us in the organization of this competition,” they said, through both the test projects, and speed test stage questions, were first tested on one of his students to determine the appropriate level of difficulty.
“During the organization, Mr Ryu was always available to answer our questions,’ they added.

From 25 to 29 October 2021 join the conversation on the future of VET in the post-COVID era live in Shanghai or online.
The world continues to endure the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As countries strive to implement recovery policies that can palliate its devastating economic and social effects of the last months, WorldSkills International wants to shed light on the role of skills development in building more resilient societies.
A year ahead of WorldSkills Shanghai 2022, experts from international organizations and government officials, leaders of business and industry will meet to discuss the effect of the pandemic on VET and how skills can address some of the world’s pressing challenges, such as climate change, poverty, or the future of work.
The WorldSkills Conference 2021, “The Road Ahead: Skills for a Resilient Future” will take place from 25 to 29 October 2021 in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join the conversation live either from Shanghai or online.
The three main tracks of this year's Conference will lead the way in global skills development for future generations: skills for green jobs, poverty reduction through skills, and the future of apprenticeship systems.
The Conference will kick off on Monday, 25th October at 16:00 CST with a high-level discussion which will look at the learnings of the past year and shed light on the skills set needed to build a resilient future.
Registration opens soon for WorldSkills Conference 2021! Visit https://worldskillsconference.com to view all the sessions and be sure to mark them in your calendar.

Pushing Boundaries in the Water Sector and the run-up to WorldSkills Shanghai 2022
WorldSkills declared 2021 the “Year of the Innovation”. This precious time can be used excellently to deepen knowledge and to test one’s limits in competitive situations. Festo and WorldSkills offered young people this opportunity.
The highly motivated 11 Competitors came from Germany (1), China (2), Iran (2), India (2), South Africa (2), Russia (1), and Belarus (1). They faced three challenges: a speed quiz, a practical task on the hardware, and a simulation analysis on the computer.
The participants, their coaches, and the members of the jury were all active simultaneously in 14 countries: Germany, China, Brazil, Vietnam, Iran, India, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Russia, Singapore, Morocco, Japan, and Belarus.
Why do these countries participate in competitions?
They attach great importance to the qualification of young people and have understood that learning through competitions strongly motivates young people. Trained specialists find work more easily and can strengthen the local economy.

How did the Hybrid Skills Challenge look like?
There were three tasks to be solved in the three-hour challenge: the theory part, the practical part, and a simulated analysis on the computer. The theory part consisted of a 30-minute speed quiz with 30 questions not related to the water and wastewater sector. In the practical part, the knowledge of mechanics and electrics were tested on the hardware. For this purpose, the Festo Didactic learning system EduKit PA Basic Equipment was used, which had already been used at the WorldSkills Competitions in São Paulo, Abu Dhabi, and Kazan and will again be provided by Festo Didactic for the next WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai. The third task of the Challenge was solved on the computer: to assess a wastewater treatment plant process comprehension using simulation software. Sustainability played a special role, as the task involved the recovery of valuable chemical substances such as phosphorus for later reuse.
The common language of English, the different time zones, and the technology used presented a challenge in itself.
 

Congratulations to the dedicated participants!
On the winners’ podium stepped:
First place
Ms. Maren Nagel - Germany - Trainee as specialist for wastewater technology at Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln (StEB Cologne)
Mr. Zikang Zhang - China - Student at Beijing Industrial Technician College, Beijing
Second place
Mr. Zhang Xueping - China - Student at Beijing Industrial Technician College, Beijing
Third place
Mr. Damir Mukhamedgaliew - Russia - Student at Nizhnekamsk Polytechnic College
All participants had a lot of fun with this international hybrid challenge, pushing them to top performances and bringing them a bit closer to WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

Watch the Award Ceremony of the Hybrid Skills Challenge
 

Over four days, 17 teams from around the world took up the challenge to build an autonomous robot which could complete a set of tasks.
Even robots need to stay in training for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022, or at least their creators do, which was the motivation for the recent Mobile Robotics Online Skill Challenge supported and empowered by Studica and WorldSkills.
As part of the Year of Innovation, Studica Robotics created the online challenge to keep Competitors on track with their preparations for Mobile Robotics at the 46th WorldSkills Competition.
They were asked to build an autonomous robot that could navigate areas, locate specific waste materials, and then unload them at a disposal site.
Over four days, 17 teams from around the world took up the challenge. The winners were Eldar Seydametov and Vladislav Diubanov of the International Center of IT & Communication System team from Kazan, Russia who earned first place.
Second place went to Hao-Chun Chang and Yi-Feng Lin of the Chun-I Senior High School team from Miaoli County in Chinese Taipei. Third place was awarded Gwak Hanho and Kwak Youngseo of the Samsung Electronics team from Yeongtong-gu in Korea.
The Experts from the winning teams were Damira Ramazanova, Chia-Nan Ko, and Kong Yongsun.
“We are thrilled that the skill level of Competitors keeps improving,” said Frank Nanfara, President & CEO, Studica & Studica Robotics.
“The robots created continue to become more advanced from previous events. Thanks to the popularity of the event, we hope to offer more Mobile Robotics Online Skill Challenges in the future to continue building this critical skill.” 
Participants represented Belarus, Brazil, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Luxembourg, Macao, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and Thailand.

Preparations for the 46th WorldSkills Competition are well underway, officials said today at an activity to celebrate the seventh World Youth Skills Day at the World Expo Center in Shanghai.
Though the competition had been postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preparations are going well, said Zhang Lan, vice director of the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and deputy director of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 Executive Bureau.
During the World Youth Skills Day celebration, 16 people received certificates as Workshop Managers for the Competition from Liu Kang, director of the China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's Vocational Ability Development Department, and Zhao Zhuping, deputy secretary general of the Shanghai government.
Yu Jun said she was selected Workshop Manager for Autobody Repair because she had been an interpreter for the skill category in previous WorldSkills Competitions and is familiar with its infrastructure list.
"As a Workshop Manager, I have to prepare all the items on the list for the Competitors, ranging from small items such as pens and papers to large machines," she said. "We also need to meet the demands of Competitors during the Competition, so it's an important task for me."
"I have been engaged in the WorldSkills Competition for nearly 10 years, and I'm looking forward to the 46th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai next year," she added. "I believe we will be successful in making it a creative and influential event."
The Competition will feature 63 skill competitions, including nine new skills, and more workshop managers will be announced in the coming months.

For every competition, medals are always a memorable legacy. What will the medals for winners at the 46th WorldSkills Competition look like? You may have a say if you have creative ideas.
Peng Chenlei, vice mayor of Shanghai and vice director of the organizing committee of the event, launched the soliciting of medal designs today at an activity to celebrate the 7th annual World Youth Skills Day.
The competition Competition will be held on the Chinese mainland for the first time in October of 2022, and Shanghai will be the host city.
Organizers are now looking for medal designs that embody its slogan "Master Skills, Change the World," as well as Chinese culture and artisanship.
The designs will appear on gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as the Albert Vidal Award for best all-around performer with the highest score among all competitorsCcompetitors.
People with creative ideas can submit their designs to No. 276 Sichuan Road M. Shanghai by August 31. For detailed requirements on designs, please call 021-23120914 or email to Li.Zheng @wss2022.com.
First to third prizes will be awarded to six designers, with awardss ranging from 10,000 yuan ($1,543) to 30,000 yuan.

The competition Competition had been scheduled to take place in Shanghai this September, but was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WorldSkills International estimates the event will feature more than 1,400 participants from over 60 countries and regions competing in over 6063 skills categories.
A WorldSkills Conference in tandem withparallel to the event will bring together leaders in education, government, business and industry from around the globe.
 

To promote the 46th WorldSkills Competition taking place in Shanghai next year, activities will be organized around China on July 15, the annual World Youth Skills Day, authorities said today.

According to the WorldSkills Competition Shanghai 2022 Executive Bureau, the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing, as well as the provinces of Guangdong, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, will simultaneously organize a series of events themed "Keep the Light of Skills on for WorldSkills Competition" to promote the first WorldSkills Competition to be held on the Chinese mainland, carrying the mantra "Master Skills, Change the World." The events are expected to create a good atmosphere for the competition and guide young people to seek excellence in skills.

As the host city of the 46th WorldSkills Competition, Shanghai will organize activities including WorldSkills Competition knowledge promotion, the launch of soliciting medal designs for the competition and the release of plans for the 2021 Shanghai Vocational Skills Competition.

New ambassadors will be announced to help promote the WorldSkills Competition among young people, while they will cheer for the competition during the World Youth Skills Day event in Shanghai, said the executive bureau.

Event organizers have invited several celebrities to highlight the importance of the competition to young people. Among them are China's top beauty influencer Li Jiaqi, young Chinese actors Yi Yangqianxi and Ding Yuxi, actresses Tan Songyun and Mao Xiaotong, as well as former WorldSkills winners Song Biao, Chen Yifan and Yuan Qiang.

"Skills carnivals" will take place on Thursday at the International Table Tennis Federation Museum, Pudong Library, World Tech Innovation Center and China (Shanghai) Public Training Center for High-Skilled Talent, where visitors can experience skills such as sweeping robots, genetic engineering, water treatment and floriculture.

WorldSkills International has a new Director of Marketing and Communications, Shawna Bourke.

Shawna joined WorldSkills in January 2016 as the Manager of Marketing and Communications, following ten years at Skills Canada Alberta.

During this period she was part of the WorldSkills International Secretariat in marketing and communications at WorldSkills Calgary 2009, WorldSkills London 2011, WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, and WorldSkills São Paulo 2015.

As Director, Shawna is responsible for the WorldSkills International marketing and communications strategy, media relations, content, and Member, regional, and Competition Organizer brand development. For the WorldSkills Competitions, Shawna leads the communications, social media, brand and marketing activations, media operations, ceremony content, and the broadcasting, photography, and video teams.

“Working alongside the 85 WorldSkills Member countries and regions, I see every day that by fostering young people’s talent and skills, adaptive individuals are nurtured, societies become innovative, and countries can thrive,” said Shawna. “In addition to working with our ambitious Competition Organizers, I look forward to supporting key priorities including our global network of WorldSkills Communication Officers and partners, the Champions Trust, and skill development in Africa.”

Prior to joining the WorldSkills movement, Shawna served as a not-for-profit communications and events manager, business coach, and recognition coordinator for the apprenticeship and industry training system.

Based in western Canada, Shawna has a Master of Arts in Professional Communication from Royal Roads University and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Alberta.

Digital Construction is one of the newest skills expected to make its first appearance at WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

If the recent experience of WorldSkills Hong Kong, China is anything to go by, it will also be hotly contested.

Their first Digital Construction competition attracted 40 entrants, including one as young as 17.

The skill involves creating and managing data throughout the construction process, and is highly collaborative, involving everyone from architects and engineers to contractors with the objective of producing better buildings.

The success of the Hong Kong competition shows the growing importance of Digital Construction in building and construction, says Expert Brian Leung, who hopes more young people will become familiar with the skill.

“As demand for Digital Construction consultants rose in recent years, most of our higher diploma graduates enter the industry immediately after their studies,” he says.

The competition was watched by leading industry partners who also attended the certificate presentation ceremony.

Dr Liu Sai-lok, the deputy executive director of Hong Kong’s Vocational Training Council, said the competition provided “a precious opportunity for the participants to experience the professional standards of the building industry.”

“I believe they can keep improving their skills by challenging one another through taking part in the competition, to lay a solid foundation for their future career.”

Youngest Competitor Leung Hei-Po said she had entered with the encouragement of her teacher.

“It was challenging, because I learnt not just architecture knowledge, but also skills related to coordination and structure,” she said.

The top three participants will now receive further training before final selection for the Hong Kong, China team that will compete at WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

In parallel, another new trade “Rail Vehicle Technology” had the final in mid-May. It took 3 days to complete this local competition. At the end, 3 out of 12 teams were selected to receive further intensive training and prepare for the 46th WorldSkills Competition in October 2022.

The event for WorldSkills Europe and WorldSkills Members will take place on 14 July 2021 and the registration deadline is 25 June 2021.

In support of the Year of Innovation, WorldSkills Europe has announced a new Online Skills Challenge in Graphic Design Technology.

Open exclusively to WorldSkills Europe and WorldSkills Members, the Online Skills Challenge has been created for young people and experts to compete, share, learn, and become prepared for EuroSkills and WorldSkills Competitions.

The event takes place on Wednesday 14 July 2021. A pre-event briefing for Experts will take place on Monday 5 July 2021.

The Challenge has been developed by WorldSkills Portugal’s Nuno Viana, who is the Graphic Design Technology Chief Expert for Euroskills2021, and WorldSkills Russia’s Andrey Ermakov, who is the Graphic Design Technology Deputy Chief Expert for EuroSkills Graz 2021.

Registration is via WorldSkills/WorldSkills Europe Experts and the registration deadline is Friday 25 June 2021. Find out more on the WorldSkills Europe website.