Börse Express – WorldSkills: 30,000 spectators want to whip red-white-red to medals in Salzburg
The tension is rising: from November 23rd to 27th, the professional world championships are coming to Austria. Red-White-Red is currently in second place in the EU medal rankings
15 countries and more than 1,000 international professionals: this year, the professional world championship will take place in an unprecedented format. For the first time, WorldSkills, in which the world’s best skilled workers (no apprentices!) compete against each other in 62 competitions, will take place as a “Special Edition” around the world.
Competitions have been taking place since the beginning of October – from the USA to Sweden to South Korea. Austria now marks the end of the World Championships: the last seven competitions will take place in the Salzburg Exhibition Center from November 23rd to 27th. Plant electrician (with Philipp Bruckner from Upper Austria), concrete worker (with Jonas Schulner and Oliver Waily from Lower Austria), chemical laboratory technician (with Caroline Pahle from Tyrol), electrical engineer (with Christoph Rumpler from Styria) and agricultural and construction machinery technician (with Kilian Wallner from Salzburg) as well as freight forwarding logistics (with Marko Nebrigic from Vorarlberg) and building contractors (with Kilian Lupinski from Styria) are fighting for precious metal in front of 30,000 expected spectators.
“Mixture of Hahnenkamm race and rock concert”
With free entry, goosebumps are guaranteed at the crowning conclusion of the World Cup in the city of Mozart, emphasizes Skills Austria President Josef Herk: “The home World Cup is a mixture of Hahnenkamm race and rock concert. I am convinced that our Austrian aces will perform excellently and can therefore invite you to keep your fingers crossed for our red-white-red specialists on site, to cheer them on and to be there live.”
Incidentally, the competitions take place at the same time as BIM, the job information fair. The competitions themselves start on Thursday, November 24th. The challenges on the last day of the competition, Saturday, November 26th, promise maximum excitement. The medal ceremony will take place on Sunday from 4 p.m. – with prominent decision-makers from politics and business. If you want to be there live when the world champions are crowned, you can here purchase a ticket online. https://ticketorganizer.eu/event/worldskills-competition-2022-special-edition-austria?lang=de
“You can’t describe the unique atmosphere at WorldSkills, you have to experience it. I particularly invite all young people: Don’t miss the opportunity to look over the shoulder of the best of the best in Salzburg,” says Mariana Kühnel, deputy Secretary General of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. “We are already incredibly proud of the successes of our young professionals, the second best EU nation after France, that’s a fantastic interim result. There are now seven chances for precious metal. Let’s go, let’s cheer on our Team Austria together!”
EU comparison: Austria in second place
The results so far at this World Skills Championship (55 of a total of 62 competitions have been held) make us more than confident: Austria (with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals as well as 17 “Medaillons for Excellence” for achievements outside the medal ranks) is in the EU – Comparison sensational in second place. Within the European Union, only France has scored more often with six gold, four silver, six bronze and 20 “Medallions for Excellence”.
Overall, China (16 gold, three silver and three bronze) tops the medal table ahead of Korea (11 gold, seven silver and eight bronze) and Taiwan (five gold, 12 silver and six bronze). Austria is seventh overall, ahead of Germany, Singapore and Great Britain. 25 nations won gold, silver or bronze, 38 including “Medaillons for Excellence”.
Styria before Upper Austria
In an internal Austrian comparison, Styria has the edge at this professional world championship: the gold medals for florist Nicola Hochegger (in Helsinki), painter Christoph Pessl (in Bozen) and bronze for Wolfgang Ramminger among carpenters (in Basel) promote the federal state to first place in a state comparison.
Upper Austria followed with the gold medal from tiler Alexander Gfellner (in Bozen) and silver from refrigeration and air conditioning technician Patrick Danninger (in Nuremberg). Upper Austrian stonemason Anna Karina Feldbauer and Tyrolean Florian Bliem also won gold. Mechanical engineering technician Lukas Schwärzler from Vorarlberg won silver.
In addition, the Austrian Ace requires 17 “Medaillons for Excellence” at this World Championship. This diploma is awarded to those participants who achieve at least 700 or more of the 800 maximum points to be achieved – and are not in the medal ranks.
In the history of the professional world championships, red-white-red has been able to celebrate a total of 86 gold, 68 silver and 73 bronze medals to date.
Austria’s medal record at this World Cup (as of November 16, 12:00 p.m.)
Gold: Christoph Pessl; Styria; painter
Gold: Alexander Gfellner; Upper Austria; Tiler
Gold: Florian Blum; Tyrol; Sanitary and heating technology
Gold: Anna Karina Feldbauer; Upper Austria; stonemason
Gold: Nicola Hochegger; Styria; floristics
Silver: Lukas Schwärzler; Vorarlberg; mechanical engineering
Silver: Patrick Danninger; Upper Austria; Refrigeration and air conditioning technology
Bronze: Lucas Dolinar; Vorarlberg; Mechanical CAD
Bronze: Wolfgang Ramminger; Styria; carpenter
visuals
Current image material is available on the following Flickr channels and can be used free of charge for press purposes if the image rights are named (WKÖ/SkillsAustria/Florian Wieser or WorldSkills).
You can find more information about the professional competitions at national and international level on our
SkillsAustria is a non-profit association of the WKO and, as a center for professional competitions, coordinates the Austrian state championships (AustrianSkills). The winners represent Austria in the international competitions – EuroSkills and WorldSkills. In addition, SkillsAustria is responsible for preparing and sending the Austrian team to the international skills competitions and for public relations. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce has been a member of WorldSkills International since 1958 and has regularly sent an Austrian team to the international world skills championships since 1961. In addition, the WKÖ has been a member of WorldSkills Europe since 2007. Austria has been at EuroSkills since the first European Championships in 2008.
SkillsAustria is managed by the WKÖ, the nine chambers of commerce in the federal states and the specialist organizations in the areas of trade and crafts, industry, tourism and leisure, information and consulting, trade and transport and traffic. The activities are co-financed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economics. The SkillsAustria team is also supported by workwear engelbert strauss, Schütze shoes, Würth, WIFI Austria and the Association for Personal Advice and Personal Care.
About WorldSkills
Founded in 1950, WorldSkills International is now a global non-profit organization with 85 member countries on five continents. Its mission is to continuously improve the image of artisanal, industrial and service occupations and vocational training worldwide. The aim of this international platform is to promote young professionals and to develop new, innovative ways of vocational training.
Every two years, WorldSkills International organizes world skills championships in different venues. Each WorldSkills member country has the option of sending one participant or team of participants per skill. Up to 1,400 participants from the WorldSkills member countries now compete in more than 60 professions and compete for gold, silver and bronze medals and, of course, for the title of “world champion” in their profession. WorldSkills participants may not be older than 22 in the competition year (exceptions in individual professions up to 25 years). (PWK468/HSP)