Measuring Australian skills against the best in the world
While Australia continues to grapple with the effects of an ongoing skills shortage across a number of key sectors of the economy, it’s important to remember that we are not the only country finding ourselves in this situation.
In an increasingly globalised economy, industries bleed across borders, meaning skills shortages can create challenges and opportunities across entire regions or even right across the world.
This makes it even more important that, here in Australia, we continue to focus not only on developing a skilled workforce, but ensuring their capabilities stack up against the best in the world.
WorldSkills rose out of the ruins of the Second World War, which devastated the economies of Europe and created a huge skills shortage. Over the decades since, the organisation has focussed on inspiring young people to consider VET pathways as they complete school and begin planning their future.
At WorldSkills Australia our role is to showcase Australia’s talented apprentices and students on the world stage, while also bringing back new insights and learnings from our overseas counterparts.
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In March we announced the biggest ever Team Australia contingent for the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai 2026, the world’s biggest international skills competition. As part of Team Australia’s preparations for this competition, we are holding the Global Skills Challenge in Wollongong in June, with the support of TAFE NSW.
We have invited more than 400 competitors, experts and officials from 18 countries for a friendly, but high-pressure competition that will see participants tested in real-world, simulated challenges designed to push them to the limits of their chosen skill or trade.
Given the way the world is at the moment, the logistics of delivering this event have been a lot more challenging than we had originally expected! But it remains vitally important – not just for the development of individual competitors, but also as a key opportunity to benchmark Australian skills against those on display from the best in the world.
Registered Training Organisations, including TAFEs, private and industry providers, benefit from any insights into how to ensure their curriculum and training methods remain at the forefront of global innovation.
This feedback loop helps ensure the next generation of skilled workers are joining the workforce with the best possible education and preparation, delivering increased benefits not only for the workplaces that employ them, but the whole Australian economy.
Learn more about our work to benchmark Australian skills on the global stage at www.worldskills.org.au