Wellington Wins Hosting Rights to SkillEX Finals

Media Release for Immediate Release 23 May 2006
Wellington Wins Hosting Rights to SkillEX National Finals

Schools students will be inspired as the watch young workers perform their job while attending the upcoming SkillEX National Finals, to be held in Wellington for the first time in 20 years.

Wellington SkillEX region, with support from Wellington Technical Institute (WelTec), won the right to host the apprentice skills competition - the largest of its kind. The event will be held at WelTec in Petone and run in conjunction with their open day.

WelTec CEO, Dr Linda Sissons, says that WelTec is proud to be hosting SkillEX this year. “SkillEX encourages the kind of excellence that is contributing to the growing recognition of trades and technical jobs as professional career options,” says Dr Sissons.

The free event will, over three days, showcase young apprentices as they strive to be the best in their trade. Simon Bartlett from Wellington won a previous national in mechanical repair and says his biggest benefit was, “gaining confidence in myself and my work.”

The visual expo, to be held in September, will demonstrate at least 18 skilled careers to hundreds of school students and young people.

Cookery, hairdressing, bricklaying and landscaping categories are real crowd pleasers. “Visitors are captivated at walls going up and creative cookery or hairdressing projects developing before their eyes. It gives real insight into what is actually involved in a job,”says Helen Goldsworthy from SkillEX.

Young skilled workers, all under the age of 25, will compete at the expo in a bid to win best in their skill category across the nation. They have already competed regionally and are now trying for National Finals champ. This can lead to wearing the silver fern while competing at the WorldSkills Competition in Japan 2007.

New Zealand have been competing globally since 1988 and achievements include several medals and diplomas of excellence; proving a small country can compete well.

YSNZ is a charitable trust which has been organising SkillEX competitions since 1986.

The public are welcome to visit and support New Zealand’s future; bricklayers, car painters, cooks, electricians, fitters and turners, florists, furniture makers, hairdressers, IT software business users, joiners, landscape gardeners, mechanics, panel beaters, sheet metal workers, waiters and welders.

For more information visit www.skillex.org.nz

ENDS

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