What is WorldSkills?
The National Finals of the 46th Competition cycle:
64 skills in competition, 600 competitors from 14 regions, 1 single objective: to earn a place in the French team!
WorldSkills France coordinates a vast network, highly committed to the promotion of apprenticeship and work-linked training, mobility and the youth connected to skills. This association, governed by the law of 1 July 1901, promotes and coordinates regional and national competitions, selection stages for the French Skills Team.
In France, the competitions are prepared, promoted and coordinated by WorldSkills France and supported by numerous partners: national and regional public authorities, social partners, companies and training organisations.
WorldSkills France coordinates the regional selection process and organises the National Finals, which result in the constitution of the French Skills Teams that will represent France at the WorldSkills and EuroSkills international competitions.
Through its strong involvement in the WorldSkills international network, WorldSkills France actively contributes to enhancing the level of skills and strengthening the brand image of trades and vocational training leading to qualifications.
The trades in competition :
- Food trades: bakery, butchery, sommellerie, etc.
- Automobile and machinery trades: cycle and motorbike, sheet metal work, bodywork, car painting, etc.
- Building and public works trades: tiling, carpentry, cabinet making, etc.
- Communication and digital professions: cyber security, 3D digital game art, printing, etc.
- Industrial trades: boilermaker, electronics, welding, etc.
- Service trades: jeweller, hairdresser, personal care...
- Plant professions: landscape gardener, floral art, horticulture.
About WorldSkills France, to find all the information: click here
National finals in real production situations
During the National Finals, for three days, the competitors must carry out works which concentrate the technical difficulties of each trade, in conditions very close to real corporate conditions. The respect of deadlines and costs, the optimal use of equipment and materials, safety... are all constraints to be respected, in accordance with the requirements of the current economic world.
Which qualities will make the difference? Precision, speed of execution and creativity.
And there is an additional difficulty: managing the stress caused by the large number of visitors. The competition is a real challenge that requires a great deal of self-control.
All sectors of the economy are represented in the competition, which gives a concrete vision of the trades and skills of today: masonry, hairdressing, catering, sheet metal and bodywork, boiler making, aeronautical maintenance, etc.
For three days, tens of thousands of visitors will discover the trades through the competition, but also thanks to activities and information areas. Whether they are still hesitating about their future career or are looking for a change of career, visitors will find answers to their questions and perhaps even more: a vocation.
Following these national competitions, the following events will take place at Eurexpo Lyon:
- The next National Finals - 47th Competition in September 2023
- The 2024 World Finals - 47th Competition in September 2024
The WorldSkills Competition in Lyon in 2024
Preparations are already underway for this major event, which will bring together more than 1,700 young competitors from 85 countries to compete in 65 trades in Lyon from 10 to 15 September 2024.
This is a genuine and unprecedented opportunity for France to open up a dialogue with young people about skills and vocational training at a global level.
Hosting this large-scale event allows WorldSkills France to :
- Support the development of the French-speaking world economy, in particular by working on the international reference systems of skills in French for the 64 skills
- Support the development of skills on the African continent, by working closely with various countries to integrate the dynamics of a skills competition into their training processes
- To become part of the European dynamic of apprenticeship development by making WorldSkills Lyon 2024 a European as well as a French event
- Participate in the reflection on the evolution of skills in the era of sustainable development and digital technology by organising an international conference on skills at the same time as the world competition
- Develop cultural exchanges and professional practices by organising a meeting between each national team present in 2024 and a school in the Lyon region (One School One Country programme)
- To mobilise the vital forces of our country by giving ourselves the ambition of a maximum of victories for the French team
Every two years, the WorldSkills Competition brings together, under the aegis of WorldSkills International, nearly 1,600 competitors under the age of 23, from all five continents, to compete in some fifty skills ranging from construction to new technologies, including industry, automotive, food, services, communication and digital or even plant-based trades.
A unique opportunity for these young people to measure their skills on an international scale and to give a fair, lively and dynamic image of today's professions.
Youth, sharing, effort, commitment, fair play, excellence, open-mindedness, and respect for cultural diversity - these are the words that could sum up the WorldSkills Competition.