narrabeen's Indy Griffith announced as a 'skillaroo' for 45th WorldSkills International Championship
North Narrabeen Graphic Designer, Indy Griffiths
North Narrabeen Graphic Designer, Indy Griffiths, was one of nineteen young Australians who won the right to compete at the Global Skills Challenge following her success at the 2018 WorldSkills National Championships. Indy and her Australian team mates will take on international competitors from 16 countries including the United Kingdom, China, Russia and Brazil in 24 skills competitions across the 4-day event.
The Global Skills Challenge was the largest international skills competition taking place in Australia this year. Held in Melbourne (10 – 14 April), the competition was staged in conjunction with the Victorian Skills Commissioner and WorldSkills Australia and hosted in several Victorian TAFE institutes, including the Holmesglen Institute, Kangan Institute and RMIT University.
21-year-old Indy, who is employed by Style Communications in Mona Vale and recently graduated from Enmore Design Centre, won a gold medal in the Graphic Design Technology category at the 2018 WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
Indy’s win secured her place in the WorldSkills Australia training team, and she is hoping that the last seven months of training had set her up for success at the Global Skills Challenge, which was the final stage for selection in her bid to become a Skillaroo; an elite team of young Australian apprentices and trainees who will represent Australia at the WorldSkills International Championships to be held in Kazan, Russia in August.
Indy was excited about the Global Skills Challenge and now representing her country at the WorldSkills International Championships.
“Representing my country on the international stage would be a life-changing experience and I really hoped that my attitude, training efforts and Global Skills Challenge results will be enough to get me there,” she said.
“As part of my training I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to both New Zealand and Kazan where I learned so much more than I expected and made some incredible friends.
“I am beyond grateful for my experiences with WorldSkills so far and am very proud of what I have already achieved,” she continued.
Brett Judd, CEO WorldSkills Australia, looked forward to welcoming close to 500 international visitors from 16 different countries to Victoria to take part in this year’s Global Skills Challenge, which is the biggest skills competition to take place in Australia in 2019.
“WorldSkills Australia is currently 10th on the WorldSkills International Rankings, and Australian teachers and trainers fill at least a dozen Chief or Deputy Chief Expert roles at the International Championships. Our ongoing success at WorldSkills International Championships is a testament to the vocational training providers and employers we have in Australia.
“The officials from the 16 countries participating in this year’s Global Skills Challenge are also eager to visit the Victorian training facilities and meet with our internationally recognised training providers and experts to talk and learn about our highly coveted training framework. I wish everyone who is competing in the Global Skills Challenge the very best," he said.
AUSTRALIAN TEAM ANNOUNCED TO COMPETE AT THE WORLDSKILLS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 15, 2019
With less than five months until the opening of the 45th WorldSkills International Championship taking place in Kazan, Russia, WorldSkills Australia has selected an elite team of 40 people, including 15 competitors and 25 experts and officials who will represent our nation at the competition - the leading international skills event for 2019.
The 15 young men and women from across Australia, known as the Skillaroos, will compete against the best apprentices and trainees from the 60 WorldSkills member countries in the hope of becoming World Champions in their chosen trade or skill area.
The Skillaroos, all aged between 19 to 22, represent a wide range of trades and skills with the majority aligning with the National Skills Needs list, these include: Cloud Computing, Electrical Installations, Plumbing and Heating and Graphic Design Technology.
The 45th WorldSkills International Championship will bring together more than 1,600 young people, representing 60 countries and regions who will compete in 56 skill competitions. It will take place in Kazan, Russia from 22-27 August 2019. It is expected that more than 250,000 spectators will attend the Championships. Australia, currently 10th on the WorldSkills rankings, is aiming to better this and hoping for a top 5 finish.
Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the competitors demonstrated the excellent quality of skills we have in Australia.
“Australia has one of the best reputations in the world for skills development and the Morrison Government is continuing to invest in the sector, creating over 80,000 new apprenticeships to give more young Australians the opportunity to have a skills career.
“I congratulate all of the competitors that came to Melbourne this week to compete for a spot in the national team and wish them luck in Kazan.”
WorldSkills Australia CEO Brett Judd congratulated the Skillaroos on being selected to represent Australia.
“The competitors and their expert trainers and mentors have consistently shown the dedication, commitment and excellence we require of Team Australia when they represent our nation against the best in the world,” said Mr Judd.
“I applaud their determination and congratulate them on their selection. But their success would not have been possible without the dedication and support of their expert trainers and mentors, many of whom volunteer their time and experience to work with the Skillaroos.
“The WorldSkills experts have been selected because they represent the best of their industry or skill category. They are also passionate about helping develop their industry and young competitor,” he continued.
Mr Judd said WorldSkills Australia was nurturing and developing the skills of young Australians and highlighting the opportunities available to those pursuing a trade or skill.
“These young people are excelling in their chosen fields and many have already been rewarded with international experience and opportunities - their training and skills are really taking them places,” he said.
The 2019 Skillaroos - Competitors :
Trade/Skill Name State
- Automobile Technology Anthony Ters New South Wales
- Bricklaying Paul Coon Victoria
- Cabinetmaking Joshua Boon Tasmania
- Car Painting Maxine Colligan New South Wales
- Carpentry Hayden Dillon New South Wales
- Cloud Computing Andrew Brown Victoria
- Cookery Cristopher Matkowski New South Wales
- Electrical Installations Anthony Cobb Queensland
- Fashion Technology Courtney New New South Wales
- Graphic Design Technology Indy Griffiths New South Wales
- Industrial Mechanics Millwright Clinton Larkings New South Wales
- Jewellery Nathan Kettle New South Wales
- Joinery Thomas Neave Victoria
- Plumbing and Heating Patrick Keating Victoria
- Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Patrick Brennan Queensland
WorldSkills Australia will also send a group of category experts to Kazan who will assist with facilitating the event as judges and advisors. The Australian experts, who are all volunteers and highly regarded by their international peers, will utilise time in Kazan to network with global experts. This will give Australia the opportunity to learn best practices from other WorldSkills member nations and bring these learnings back to Australia to use within the Vocational Education sector, ensuring we remains competitive in these important industries.
About WorldSkills:
WorldSkills Australia is a social enterprise that passionately believes that skills drive your future and Australia’s prosperity. Since 1981 we have been the leading voice for skills excellence in vocational, technological and service oriented careers in Australia and have raised the awareness of hundreds of thousands of young Australians, as well as their parents, industry and employers that our nation’s future depends on an effective skills training systems. For more information visit www.worldskills.org.au
About Global Skills Challenge:
2019 Global Skills Challenge will be the biggest international skills excellence event to be held in Australia in 2019 with 500 competitors, from 16 different countries taking part in 24 different skills competitions. The four-day competition will be hosted in several Victorian TAFE Institutes including: Holmesglen Institute, Kangan Institute and RMIT University. The championship will simulate International competition conditions. The event is the final training exercise for the WorldSkills Australian Skills Squad before the Skillaroo selection, the team that will go on to represent Australia at the WorldSkills International Championship.
About 45th WorldSkills International Competition:
The 45th WorldSkills Competition – the leading international event of 2019 in Russia – will bring together more than 1,600 young professionals representing over 60 countries and regions who will compete in 56 skills. It will take place in Kazan, Russia on 22-27 August 2019. It is expected that more than 250,000 spectators will attend the Competition and associated events.
2019 Skillaroos and Guests