Wintec staff to judge world’s talented young tradespeople

25 June 2013

Wintec staff to judge the world’s most talented young tradespeople

Two Wintec tutors, Roland Spirig and Gary McCormick, will be judging the world’s most talented tradespeople at the WorldSkills international competition in Leipzig, Germany next month.

Spirig and McCormick, who both teach at Wintec’s School of Trades, leave for Germany later this week to take up their roles as expert judges in the fields of polymechanics and autobody repair.

More than 1000 skilled people, representing 60 countries, will compete at the Leipziger Messe Trade Fair Centre from 2 to 7 July. WorldSkills is described as the Olympics for young people involved in trade and technical industries. There will be 46 competition categories at WorldSkills ranging from bricklaying to hairdressing. The international competition is held every two years.

For Spirig it will be the sixth international competition he will be attending as an expert. This year he will be the chief expert judge in the polymechanics section, which covers a range of skills relating to plant maintenance and combines electrical, mechanical and automation skills.

“I am excited about the opportunity to be involved again. It is great to be able to bring back experience and the ideas around the projects used in the competition. Observing the latest training and skills from an international perspective is inspiring, and so is the sheer size of the event and the organisation that goes in behind it.”

For McCormick it will be his first time as an expert judge at the international competition. He will be an autobody repair judge, which sees competitors structurally repair a motor vehicle over four days.

“I’m keen to see other people’s ideas and skills at work. I want to be a fair judge, and I think it will also give me a greater understanding of how the industry is evolving in the area of collision repair. Germany is home to some great car brands such as BMW, and I will also be making the opportunity after the competition to visit these places to understand the latest developments.”

“When I come back from this competition I’m keen for our students to see and hear about the technology at these competitions. Also with our new Engineering and Trades building under way, I’d like to bring back information which could be helpful in a Wintec context.”

As well as judging, McCormick is also an autobody repair mentor to Jake Ackers from Christchurch, a member of the 13-strong New Zealand Tool Blacks team who are competing in Germany next month.

Waikato has one representative in the Tool Blacks – Reece Gerrits who is perfecting his sheet metal skills. Reece works for Thorburn Engineering in Hamilton.

Next July, Wintec will proudly host the 2014 WorldSkills New Zealand National Finals for the first time at its Hamilton campuses. Tradespeople from all over New Zealand will be showcasing their skills over three days.

ENDS

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