EuroSkills - 2014 Lille, France

Since Leipzig, the Russian team changed completely. In order to become the members of the Russian national team, the participants went through very tough selection at regional and national competitions.

Top-10 of Euroskills 2014 as to the scores (Comparison by Total Points Scored) includes: Austria (14,405), France (14,099), Netherlands (13,434), Finland (12,107), Portugal (11,150), Belgium (10,958), Sweden (8,545), Great Britain (8,129), Hungary (8,124), and Germany (7,774).

The final result of Russia – 6,947 points and 11th position. We were followed by 14 countries in the final lust. The last were the countries of Cyprus (1,420 – 23rd position), Montenegro (1,357 баллов – 24th position), and Croatia (971 – 25th position).

The largest score and prize for quality of task performance (medallion for excellence) for the Russian team were gained by engineers-mechatronics Konstantin Krementsov and Aleksandr Karnaukhov, which represented Chelyabinsk Oblast (Magnitogorsk Polytechnic College). They also won the only Russian individual prize as best representatives of the country at Euroskills 2014 competitions (nomination “Best of nation”).

1946 marks the beginning of the history of WorldSkills when there was a great need for skilled workers in the post-war Spain. At the time, José Antonio Elola Olaso, General Director of Organización Juvenil Española (OJE) - Spanish Youth Organization, has decided to create an effective vocational training system.

His goal was to convince youth, teachers and prospective employers that their future depended on this system. To accomplish this task, it was decided to hold the competition. So, young people's competing spirit would be aroused, adults would discuss the competition results and visitors would be able to see a great variety of trades being demonstrated. There was no doubt that this event would draw up spectators, because, as you know, a person can always look at three things: fire burning, water flowing and another person working.

Olaso's ideas aroused interest of government agencies, enterprises and vocational schools. The Government of Spain has taken up the initiative and in 1947, the first national vocational training competition, with the participation of around 4,000 apprentices from a dozen of schools and colleges from all over Spain was held in Madrid.

The initiators of the competition wanted much more than that. They had far-reaching objectives: to motivate youth to compete, to make them enthusiastic about vocational training and to compare skills and abilities of people from different countries. So, colleagues from Europe and Latin America were invited to cooperation and since then the competition has acquired the status of international.

Portugal was the first to support the idea of the skills competition. In 1950, the first International Pyrenees Competition, which was attended by 12 participants from both countries. A great number of observers were completely seduced by the idea. As a result, in 1953, competitors from Germany, Great Britain, France, Morocco and Switzerland took part in the Pyrenees Competition. Following the competition, it was decided to establish an organization for professional skills competitions - International Vocational Training Organization (IVTO).

With the participation of German and Swiss workers and experts, the Spaniards became acquainted with the dual system, a traditional vocational training model utilized in these countries, and a year later a dual education system was introduced in Spain.

In June 1954, the Organizing Committee was established to set common rules for competitions and determine uniform professional standards. The committee composed of official and technical representatives of participating countries.

It was in 1958 that the competitions have spread beyond Spain. During the World Exhibition in Brussels, the World Excellence Cup took place. One year later the competition was held in Modena, Italy, and in 1970, the organization made a jump to Japan.

With the admission of Members-countries from all continents, IVTO organization gained experience, increased its knowledge of vocational training and applied working techniques and methods in trades. In the early 2000s, the movement gained new symbols and a new name - WorldSkills International (WSI).

Today, a large number of events are regularly held under the brand WSI. These are regional and national championships, continental championships and, once every two years - a world championship.

The idea to celebrate skills competitions can be rightfully compared to Pierre de Coubertin’s initiative to create the modern Olympic Games and his motto “great ideas come from the heart” can be applied to the founders of WorldSkills International. WorldSkills Competitions give new impetus to the development of vocational education system in the world and in the member countries.

Currently, WorldSkills International can be compared with the Olympic Games both by size and the international prestige of the competition. Just like the Olympics, WorldSkills International Finals are held every two years, each time in a new country and a new city. Similarly, each time it is not only and not so much a professional “get-together” as a spectacular public event that draws attention of a very broad audience and promoting blue-collar occupations among youth.

Like in the Olympics, the principle of “the main thing - not to win but to participate” also applies here and WorldSkills competitions have no losers: every participant is a winner of the national competition and, thus, is already one of the best artists in the world and a role model among his colleagues. The fact of participation in the WorldSkills opens up exciting prospects for young professionals: usually after the event employers from around the world offer job to participants, and the competition in the offers is greater than ever. Young people can literally choose where to live and work - they will be welcomed anywhere.

In addition, the participants watching the performance of their colleagues from other countries have the opportunity to adopt the best international practices.