1 October 2021

Annotation on 13 November 2021: The next AustrianSkills for getting qualified for the WorldSkills (Shanghai 2022) and EuroSkills (St. Petersburg 2023) competitions will be postponed from 18 - 21 November 2021 to 20 - 23 January 2022 in Salzburg.

Crafts in competition. Austria received gold medal in the 'Creative Arts and Fashion' discipline 'Fashion Technology' at the vocational skills championships Euroskills 2021 held in Graz

The Olympic and European championship-like competitions had its beginnings in the 1950ies when the importance of the quality of the education of skills grew with the increasing number of new materials and innovative manufacturing technologies. Job profiles never stay the same. Professions change and absolutely new professions develop simultaneously with new products such as AI driven e-cars as well as with social and environmental issues like the awareness of diversity and climate.

Today, the biennial organised WorldSkills and EuroSkills (since 2008) competitions are meeting points of the more than 80 (World) respectively 31 (Europe) member countries for challenging their skills in fields like handicrafts, creative arts, personal services,... such as fashion technology, hairdressing, jewelry or health care, cyber security or automobile technology. The latest competition was held recently from 22 to 26 September in Graz, the capital of the Austrian Federal State Styria. Overall winner was the Russian Federation where the next EuroSkills will be held from 16 to 20 August 2023 in St. Petersburg.

The Austrian team achieved in Graz 11x gold, 12x silver, 10x bronze medals and 4x 'Medallion for Excellence'. One of the gold medals went to the 'Fashion Technology' team consisting of Laura Tschiltsch who studied at the fashion school 'Modeschule Graz' and Christina Strauß from the manufacturing company 'JMB Fashion Team' headquartered in Styria. For the competition, the Austrian team had to make a film costume, the coat of Disney's Cruella, and master additional challenges to prove their skills. They won not only gold in the category Fashion Technology, what's a premiere for Austria, the duo achieved with the highest score this year's 'Best of Nation' title.

The next AustrianSkills for getting qualified for the WorldSkills (Shanghai 2022) and EuroSkills (St. Petersburg 2023) competitions will happen from 18 to 21 November 2021 20 - 23 January 2022 in Salzburg. Details with requirements and tasks in the various disciplines like fashion technology (tasks reach from problem solving, design, technical drawing, cut, production to presentation) at wko.at/site/skillsaustria/austrianskills-2021.html.

Images: Laura Tschiltsch, graduate of Modeschule Graz, of the Austrian team duo 'Fashion Technology' (not on view at the images Christina Strauß from the Styrian garment manufacturer 'JMB Fashion Team') on the first day of the EuroSkills 2021 competitions in Graz, Austria. Photos: (C) WKÖ/SkillsAustria (https://news.wko.at/news/oesterreich/EuroSkills-in-Graz:-Erstmals-Gold-fuer-Oesterreich-in-der.html) / Florian Wieser.