WorldSkills raises the profile and recognition of skilled people, and show how important skills are in achieving economic growth. WorldSkills International was founded in 1950.
In 1973, President Richard M. Nixon recognized SkillsUSA (then known as VICA) as the official U.S. representative to WorldSkills. The United States first entered the WorldSkills Competition in 1975, represented by the SkillsUSA organization.
WorldSkills International Snapshot
- WSI provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades and service sectors of the global economy. The continued growth of WSI attests to the fact that traditional trade and craft skills, along with the newer technology multi-skilled vocations, make an essential contribution to the economic and social well-being of people everywhere.
- As a freestanding, nonpolitical organization, WSI provides a cost-effective means for international government and industry cooperation in achieving higher standards and status for vocational education and training on a worldwide basis.
- WSI is an international, member-driven organization that works through collaborative efforts to raise the awareness of skilled professions. Currently, there are 77 member countries and regions.
- The first competition was held in 1950 in Madrid, Spain. The most recent WorldSkills Competition was in Kazan, Russian in 2019.
- As many as 100,000 spectators, public policymakers, employers, teachers, trainers, technical experts and government officials from around the world attend the biennial competitions.
To learn more about WSI, visit: https://www.skillsusa.org/competitions/worldskills/