Competition Preparation Week: Intensive preparations underway as media gets first look at WorldSkills Lyon 2024

The Skill Management meeting kicked off Competition Preparation Week (CPW) today in Lyon, France, beginning four days of intense work to ramp up readiness for the 47th WorldSkills Competition.

With only 224 days until the Opening Ceremony, CPW is critical to coordinate all logistical aspects of the Competition. Part of this week’s objectives is organizing meetings for each of the 62 skill competitions, and organizing the Infrastructure Lists, layout of the workshops, and health, safety, and environment requirements.

Welcoming everyone to the beautiful city of Lyon, Marc Rousseau, Technical Delegate for France, reminded the more than 750 participants at CPW that by the end of the week there should be no “unanswered questions” or “pending decisions” in Competition preparations.

He also reiterated sustainability as one of the targeted objectives for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, and called for everyone to optimize the use of resources to reduce the carbon footprint of the Competition.

In parallel, a press conference was held alongside the Métropole and the City of Lyon, revealing important details of WorldSkills Lyon 2024 to the media, and highlighting the legacy and impact of the event.

Speaking at the press conference was Grégory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon, and Hélène Duvivier-Dromain, Vice President of the Métropole, who gave their full support to ensure the success of the Competition, highlighting the active involvement of local schools, and the ambitious volunteer programme which is prioritizing the integration of individuals from work placement schemes.

Sharing the floor with Chris Humphries, President of WorldSkills, was Max Roche, President of WorldSkills Lyon 2024, who proclaimed that 2024 would be a great year for France.

“It will be a year of excellence, of youth, and of surpassing oneself. There will be the Olympic and Paralympic Games and WorldSkills Lyon 2024, the other major event of 2024. We will have the honour of welcoming both the greatest athletes and the best young professionals in the world,” he said.

Bringing the focus to the legacy of WorldSkills Lyon 2024, CEO of WorldSkills, David Hoey, said that the joint efforts of all organizing parties would create the “world stage for skills excellence” in Lyon, and host a global conversation for skills development at WorldSkills Conference 2024.

An exciting moment was the unveiling of the designs of the medals which will be awarded to gold, silver, and bronze Medalists. As a 3D animation was displayed on the screen, CEO of WorldSkills Lyon 2024, Franck Le Roux explained that the medals drew inspiration on French symbology, Lyon’s landmarks, and the skills present at the Competition.

Media then had the opportunity to hear from WorldSkills Champions Trust representatives Cloé Lemarechal, from France, and Yousra Assali, from Morocco, on how WorldSkills changed their lives, gave them confidence to overcome any obstacles, and helped them become the best they could be.

CPW will continue until 2 February 2024 and include a Sponsors Forum, a Diplomatic Briefing, as well as the launch of supporting programmes to the Competition such as the One School One Country.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will show the world that Where there is a skill, There is a way. A major industrial centre and a global reference for gastronomy and cuisine, the city of Lyon will host the 47th WorldSkills Competition from 10 to 15 September 2024. Over 1,500 Competitors from over 65 countries and regions will compete in 62 skill competitions. Organizing the Competition in France aligns with the country’s strategy to promote vocational education and training and transform it to adapt to current and future employment needs.