Looking forward to the World Professional Championships

Looking forward to the World Professional Championships

At the WorldSkills professional championships, the best skilled workers around the world compete in 59 different craft and technology disciplines. With 47 participants, Austria is sending the largest team of all time to a professional world championship. Now the red-white-red national team has officially said goodbye.

From mid-September, Lyon will be transformed into a global center for vocational training. The third largest city in France after Paris and Marseille is hosting the 47th WorldSkills this year. 1,600 participants from 65 countries serve superlative professional delicacies to the more than 250,000 expected fans in the secret gastronomic capital of the “Grande Nation”. The crème de la crème of international specialists compete over four days of competition in the 140,000 square meter Eurexpo congress and exhibition center before the medals are awarded on Sunday, September 15th. Austria also has a chance of winning precious metal: with 47 “Young Competitors” (trained young professionals who are no older than 22 years), Red-White-Red has the largest team of all time at the World Professional Championships. The local professional collective is also one of the largest in Europe: only host France, with a 63-strong starting field, trumps the local professional national team this year; behind Austria are Switzerland (43) and Germany (42).

For Philipp Gady, Vice President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, it is clear: "Each and every one of our participants is a role model: They show what is possible when you approach your goals with passion, discipline and determination. Participation in WorldSkills is more than a competition - it is a demonstration of how much talent and potential there is in our country." The journey for the majority of the local aces begins on September 7th, before WorldSkills opens three days later with an “Opening Ceremony” in the LDLC Arena of the Olympique Lyon football club. The World Cup starters use the days in between to get used to it and get to know the conditions on site. SkillsAustria President Josef Herk emphasized on the occasion of the ceremony: “Participation in WorldSkills is not only an opportunity to compete with the best in the world, it is also a platform to show that Austria is among the international leaders in vocational training and skilled workers.” The success record of the Austrian teams at WorldSkills is actually impressive: in the Austrian team's 32 participations in the World Skills Championships so far, 230 medals (87 in gold, 68 in silver and 75 in bronze) have been won. When comparing federal states, Vorarlberg is at the top.