2015 in review

It is always challenging to summarize in a “year in review” – whether of an individual, organization, or community. In the case of looking back at 2015 and the WorldSkills movement, this task becomes literally impossible given the year’s activity and the limited space here. That said, there are several highlights I want to share – milestones and recognition, aspects of growth with quality and continued impact. Together, we are indeed improving our world with the power of skills. All that we experienced, learned, and achieved over the past 12 months has been the result of collective effort, shared by all of us – Members, Experts, Volunteers, Partners and Sponsors, amazing Competitors and Champions. I offer my thanks and extend thanks on behalf of the Board of Directors and the WorldSkills team to everyone who has been a part of the Competitions, programmes, and projects that not only shaped this year but also created momentum and legacy for future years. You have contributed to making the WorldSkills 65th year a memorable and pivotal part of our history.

Starting in 1950, WorldSkills has reached and celebrated many milestones in its history – not the least of which is its sustained growth, quality, and impact of these 65 years. It is difficult to list them all for 2015 (and please don’t think we are saying these are more significant than others), but I’d like to share a few to show the global activity and diversity. In January 2015, The European Parliament awarded the 2014 European Citizen’s prize to skillsbelgium, applauding the work done by the team and its network of Experts, Team Leaders, as well as all training centres, schools, and professional federations. In March 2015, the late Francisco Albert-Vidal was appointed as an honorary citizen of the village of Pinoso, Spain, recognizing his work in the field of vocational training for young people as the founder of the International VET Competitions, now WorldSkills. Albert-Vidal said, "Fill youth with enthusiasm through special action! Convince young people's parents, trainers, and company chiefs that a promising future is possible only through good vocational training.” In January 2017, we look forward to celebrating what would have been Albert-Vidal’s 100th birthday; his contribution to skills development and excellence is legendary and lasting. On 15 July, we were proud to join the United Nations to become a part of the global recognition and promotion celebrating the first-ever World Youth Skills Day. In this inaugural year, WorldSkills promoted a campaign and contest encouraging youth to share their personal stories of the ways in which skills development and competition have influenced their lives and work. Early in the New Year we will tell you about what we plan as a part of the 2016 celebration.
 

The creation of an official Brazilian Celebration Stamp for WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 was one of several initiatives associated with this hugely successful event. The first global skills Competition in WorldSkills history held in Latin America, was also the largest in WorldSkills history. There were many new initiatives in terms of incorporating and showcasing technology, including “A New Look at Skills”, the creative collaborative project between WorldSkills Foundation, Autodesk, and SENAI to create videos and 3D models to enrich and support explaining what Competitors are required to do in their competition Test Projects. Special thanks go to the Competition organizers, hosts, sponsors and partners, dedicated staff and volunteers, and – of course – to the Competitors who raised the bar on excellence and raised awareness of skills, trades, and technologies during our time in Brazil.

Perhaps it is fitting that at the close of this year we joined in celebrating the distinctive milestone of Portugal’s 65th year of championing vocational education and training and skills development. A special part of the anniversary celebration was the presentation of a commemorative postcard with a unique postmark marking this milestone event. Congratulations, again, and appreciation to this long-time supporter and champion of WorldSkills. From 1950 to today we have been on an incredible journey with all of you, and we have come so far and achieved so much – together!

Growth was significant across many aspects of WorldSkills during 2015. Growth with quality is always our intention, and – we believe – our achievement. We welcomed three new Members to WorldSkills: Costa Rica, Israel, and Palestine, and we count on all three to enrich our efforts towards developing global skills excellence as well as cultural cooperation and collaboration. We grew the WorldSkills legacy and community impact through the breakthrough projects of the WorldSkills Foundation, which facilitates projects that bring the skills and dedication of Champions and Experts to solve critical community challenges across the world. The WorldSkills Foundation is growing its portfolio of projects, and will announce and launch several exciting new initiatives in the coming year. The WorldSkills Champions Trust (WSCT) is growing, too, with an announcement and introduction of the new representatives in this group of amazing young change-makers with highly developed skills and high hopes of changing the world. Members, Partners, and other WorldSkills stakeholders around the world will have opportunity to support and engage with the members of the WorldSkills Champions Trust. More information on the activities of WSCT and how to become involved with this group of nine extraordinarily high quality youth will be shared over the website and through social media in early 2016. Last, but not least, is the ongoing effort to continue refining and improving the quality of WorldSkills real-world relevant skills, standards, Test Projects, and assessments. Efforts in this area are championed by highly-qualified educators, trainers, and researchers; their efforts were a key factor in the overall quality of this past Competition. They will play an increasingly important part in our commitment to keep growth without risking the high quality for which WorldSkills competitions, programmes, and projects are recognized. For us it is not simply benchmarking competence; rather, it is about leading excellence in skills.

The work of the WorldSkills movement and its relevance and impact on the workplace, economies, and communities would not be possible without the support and contribution of our Global Partners. This group of leading organizations provides not only financial and in-kind resources, but also – and perhaps most important – they contribute to planning, best practice, and collaborative thinking and action worldwide. To all WorldSkills Partners; what you do enriches what we do in more ways than I can count. We look forward to continued, strong, and mutually valuable relationships with our current Partners, and we are in discussion with organizations that will join us as new Partners in 2016.

Reflecting on just these few of the many areas of achievement during 2015, it is important to note that WorldSkills continues to increase its branding and communications efforts so that the world learns about what we do and what difference we make. In 2015 we completed two “What is WorldSkills” videos to help explain our work – with and beyond competitions. We are establishing strong relationships with the media – both learning from them how best to tell our story, and working with them so that they amplify our story.

In closing, I want to start at the beginning: heartfelt thanks to everyone in our community that is WorldSkills. It is humbling to share all we do to meet our mission and achieve our vision. Our work is significant; it is hard; but it is critical to the future of the global skilled workforce. Best wishes for a peaceful and satisfying close to 2015. I look forward to listening, talking, and working with you in 2016.

David Hoey, CEO WorldSkills International