Workskill regional competition for young WA workers

14/9/94

Young Western Australian workers will have the opportunity to test their abilities at the Work Skill Australia Perth Regional competition this coming Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17.

Education, Employment and Training Minister Norman Moore said the Work Skill competition provided a valuable showcase for the talent and application of young Western Australians.

"Our workforce is the State's most valuable resource and our young workers play a vital role in the economy," Mr Moore said.

"The Work Skill competition makes an important contribution to the promotion of skills development in Western Australia."

The 43 skills categories in this year's competition, ranged from traditional trade areas such as automotive mechanics, cabinet making and hairdressing, through to high-tech fields such a mechatronics, data coding and software applications.

Some 450 young people will take part in the Perth finals and a total of 1,000 are involved across the State.

Gold medallists from the State final competitions in Perth and country regional centres, will go on to compete at a national competition later in the year.  National winners in many of the categories will represent Australia at the 33rd International Youth Skill Olympics to be held in Lyon, France, in 1995.

Australia has competed in the last six Skill Olympics and ranked as the best-performing English-speaking nation.  The challenge ahead will be to compete successfully against the top performing Asian nations such as Korea and Japan.

The weekend WA final will require competitors to be rated against a national standard as they compete against the clock and each other.  They will also be given valuable feedback from professionals who have designed and will judge the competitions.

Support from both the private and public sector has been welcomed by Mr Derrick Russell, Chairman of the WA State Work Skill Coordinating Committee.

"In continuing the sponsorship of the 1994 Work Skill Australia competition, industry and government reinforce the view that education and training are the keys to long-term rewarding jobs for young Australians," Mr Russell said.

"In today's competitive world, if Australia is to improve its relative trading position, we must have well-trained workers efficient in the use of up to date equipment and work practices."

Media contact:   Marcia Van Zeller   227 9255 - Work Skill Competition  

Ross Storey  321 1444    222 9595