Let's celebrate volunteers, the backbone of the WorldSkills movement

On International Volunteers Day – 5 December – we want to recognize and honour all the individuals working with WorldSkills to unlock opportunities through skills, helping young people transform their lives, their communities, and their worlds.

In a series of articles published on our website this week, we are featuring some of these individuals and groups to find out more about their work, and their motivations for volunteering for skills development.

An important part of the social fabric, volunteerism is a powerful vehicle for sustainable development.

Volunteers are the backbone of WorldSkills Competitions, and of the WorldSkills movement as a whole. Board members, Experts, Team Leaders, WorldSkills Champions Trust representatives, their voluntary contributions are invaluable, guaranteeing good governance, sharing knowledge and experiences, and promoting excellence.

At WorldSkills Competitions, volunteers ensure an overall smooth running of the event.

• More than 2,600 people volunteered during the 29 events that made up WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.
• At WorldSkills Kazan 2019, the volunteer programme recruited 3,688 volunteers from 85 regions in Russia and 41 countries. They provided support at workshops for each skill, as well as in different roles across 33 functional areas such as hospitality, transportation, accreditation, catering, or at information points.
• Volunteers at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 showed that age is not a limiting factor, with a pool of volunteers from the ages of 16 to 65.

Become a volunteer for WorldSkills Lyon 2024

From 10 to 15 September, the 47th WorldSkills Competition will take place in Lyon, France bringing Competitors, Experts, and visitors from all over the world and providing a platform for true international exchange. The role of volunteers will be crucial at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, sharing their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to ensure a memorable event.

Over 2,500 volunteers in 50 missions across the following sectors will be recruited:

• International
• Languages services
• Accreditations
• Marketing and Communications
• Competition
• Transport
• Competitors Village
• Volunteers
• Sponsorship and Partnership
• Environment
• Logistics
• Food & Beverage
• Events
• Member Services

If you are 12 years of age or older, you can apply to become a volunteer for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, grow your skills, and be part of the largest skill championship in the world.

We are WorldSkills. Volunteer with us.