Worldskills Finalists 1 Step Closer To Being “Tool Blacks"

Worldskills Finalists One Step Closer To Becoming “Tool Blacks”

WorldSkills NZ – 2012 National Finals Medallists

WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, non-profit Charitable Trust founded in 1986, dedicated to encouraging young people to excel in vocational skills. This is achieved through exposure to competitions at a Regional, National and International level. The purpose of the organisation is to:

• Encourage, recognise and reward skill excellence.
• Raise the standards of skills training in New Zealand.
• Raise the self-confidence and self-esteem of the young participants.
• Have New Zealand recognised as one of the highest skilled nations in the world.
• Promote Skills Training as a first choice career to school leavers.

WorldSkills NZ assists New Zealand young people by providing a model for excellence in industry training and setting goals for young people to aspire to in their personal development. It gives young people confidence, assertiveness, a feeling of responsibility and the ability to seek new challenges within their work.

By running WorldSkills New Zealand competitions, we can also provide New Zealand Industry Training Organisations, companies, polytechnics and other training organisations with consistent performance benchmarks measured at international standards. This enables them to compare training standards around the country against proven international standards.

All of the competitions provide unbiased measures of competency for each participant, thereby meeting the intent of the National Qualifications framework. The marking system (based on international scales) provides consistent means of auditing the training levels that are achieved nationally.

Co-ordination of WorldSkills New Zealand competitions is reliant on the national network of 700+ volunteers who give hundreds of hours of their own time. WorldSkills New Zealand has recently awarded some of our volunteers for their 20+ years’ support and service to our organisation.

OBJECTIVES
• Evaluate our training systems against the world’s best and to encourage those involved in skills training to participate as Judges at International Competitions.
• Build the standard of our National skills to the highest international levels, thereby serving the need for skilled workers in New Zealand.
• Upgrade the status of skilled persons in New Zealand by improving public awareness of skills and promoting the worthiness of skilled vocations as a first choice career.
• Improve training standards by encouraging use of the latest methods and technologies.
• Raise the profile of the WorldSkills International organisation in New Zealand
• Increase the opportunity for New Zealand youth to participate in WorldSkills competitions and demonstrate skills in action to prospective school leavers.

WORLDSKILLS NZ REGIONAL COMPETITIONS
WorldSkills NZ promotes excellence in young New Zealanders through trade/skill-based competitions under the registered name –WorldSkills New Zealand.

Regional competitions are held every two years. The 8 regions are: Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Central North Island, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago/Southland and New Zealand Defence Force.

Entry to WorldSkills NZ Regional competitions is open to persons of all ages in training and persons under the age of 22 who have finished their training.

WORLDSKILLS NZ NATIONAL COMPETITIONS
National competitors, all under the age of 22, are sourced from the 8 regional WorldSkills NZ competitions, other industry specific competitions, direct from industry or from apprentice block courses. The selected competitors in each of the skills represented who meet the criteria for entry are brought together at a single venue to find the country’s highest skilled champions.

The National Finals combine the excitement of the competition with the educational elements of a practical examination. They highlight on-the-job excellence by testing the key skills in each category. In some vocations, this involves working from a blueprint to make a specific object. In others, competitors follow a routine set of tasks that are frequently met in the working environment.

National winners, who reach the International standard required, will represent New Zealand at the WorldSkills International competition where they will compete against the best from the member countries.

WORLDSKILLS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
WorldSkills New Zealand is the only NZ organisation officially affiliated with WorldSkills International which manages the WorldSkills International competitions.

The WorldSkills New Zealand team, the Tool Blacks, is selected after the biennial WorldSkills New Zealand National Finals

Held every two years, the WorldSkills International Finals act as an International audit of skill standards in over 50 countries. The worldwide demand for well-trained and committed young people has never been higher. New jobs are being created in all branches of industry and commerce. There will be intense competition in the years ahead to recruit young people to take New Zealand through the twenty first century and maintain a level of international competitiveness.

It is expected that the coveted medals, the honour of representing their country and the comradeship of international competition, will attract up to 600 competitors from all around the world.

BENEFITS FOR THOSE INVOLVED

Competitors
• Self-confidence and practical skills from their participation are increased.
• Competitors have tangible evidence of their workplace abilities.
• They learn to set goals and excel in other facets of their lives.
• They learn to work under pressures of time, quality of product and performance.

Trainers
• Trainers can benchmark the effectiveness of their training programmes in a Regional, National and International arena.
• The competitions promote the benefits to companies of investing in training.
• The competitions provide visible demonstrations of occupational standards.

Industry
• Participation leads to improved motivation and increased productivity within companies.
• Assurance that the skills of NZ’s workforce are linked to a benchmark of high standards.
• Sponsorship can be used to stimulate media interest and to achieve marketing objectives.

New Zealand
• Young people are motivated to acquire work-place skills by WorldSkills NZ highlighting the career opportunities that are available.
• By increasing awareness of vocational skills especially in high schools and colleges, WorldSkills NZ is improving perceptions of skills as a first choice career option.
• International competitions provide evidence of the quality of New Zealand’s products and services, thereby assisting the country’s exporters and National economy.

Website: www.worldskills.org.nz

ENDS

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