2009 Team Australia Skillaroos
- Aaron Samphier
- Andrew Arthur
- Benjamin Dean
- Daniel Jones
- Daniel Karanges
- Gavin Press
- Heh-Nian (James) Sun
- Jessie-Lee Gladwell
- Joshua Harris
- Justin Laidlaw
- Kyle Butler
- Kyle French
- Luke Davies
- Megan Kuhn
- Melissa Guiney
- Michael Welshman
- Mitchell Edwards
- Nash Mason
- Nenad Djuric
- Nick Davies
- Nigel Croke
- Perrin Bouna
- Peter Steinweiss
- Shane Ashton
- Stacey Pitman
- Tyson Knight
News
Julia Gillard Welcomes Skillaroos
Posted: 28/10/2009
Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has today welcomed home Australia’s best and brightest young tradies and apprentices following their medal-winning performance at the 40th International WorldSkills Competition held in Canada last month.
Ms Gillard was the guest of honour at the Parliament House ceremony, congratulating members of the Australian WorldSkills Team, the Skillaroos, who brought home a hoard of medals from the International Competition which is known as the ‘Olympics of Economic Skills’.
The WorldSkills Australia Team that took on the best from the rest of the world last month was composed of our nation’s top 26 young skilled apprentices and trainees across a range of trade-oriented professions from Plumbing and Joinery, to Web Design and Floristry. In total, the team secured 10 medals across 24 trade disciplines, including two gold medals in the fields of Beauty Therapy and Restaurant Service, and reaffirmed Australia’s reputation as a global leader in trade skills education by securing a ranking of 5th in the world class field.
Hon. Julia Gillard eagerly met with members of the successful squad, praising their remarkable achievements and sharing in the celebrations. “The Australian Government is exceptionally proud to be associated with such a powerful demonstration of Australia’s skills excellence,” Ms Gillard said. “Every team member represents the pinnacle of achievement for the vocational education and training sector in Australia and are wonderful role models to other young Australians.”
The remarkable performance of the Australian WorldSkills team seems to have come at the turn of the tide for youth participation in trade. Increased Government spending on vocational training for youth is aiming to address Australia’s skills shortage and replenish the traditional trades industry following a slump in participation rates during the Global Financial Crisis. WorldSkills Australia is playing an integral part in the skilled trade resurgence, working to engage youth in trade by promoting a level of skills excellence through a series of competitions and providing opportunities for young tradies and apprentices to develop their career at an international level.
The WorldSkills program is aligned to national training institutions, including TAFE facilities Australia-wide. With over 80 percent of the current WorldSkills Australia team having learned their craft at a TAFE institute, this afternoon’s ceremony was also a cause for celebration for National TAFE Day. Closely following in the footsteps of the successful WorldSkills Australia Team, the new breed of Skillaroos is emerging from the 30 Regional Competitions currently being held around the nation.
The current squad will prove to be a tough act to follow for their incumbents, but with new opportunities continuing to open up for youth to develop skills in a range of vocations, Australia stands in good stead to set a new level of excellence in trade on the international stage.
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