WorldSkills Australia aims to promote and create a skills culture by showcasing vocational education and training, trades and apprenticeships, fostering careers for Australia’s young people.
The three-day competition, which is open to the public, commences on Thursday 26 August at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated state border closures, non-West Australian residents will compete from their home states, available to view on WSA Live – WorldSkills Australia’s first-ever dedicated livestreaming site.
Palloys is helping to promote the 2021 event as a Gold Partner and there are five finalists competing in the Jewellery category of the National Championships.
The sponsorship sees Palloys donate 18-carat yellow gold sheet and solder to the value of $30,000 to enable Australia’s young jewellers to craft their creations.
The company – part of the Pallion Group – is also supplying jewellery benches and lights for the competition.
Mike Granshaw, general manager of Palloys, said, “We are committed to supporting up-and-coming designers including students and apprentices. We are honoured to support these championships, as they are vital for the industry to succeed in the future.
“We absolutely love being a part of it and cannot wait to see what the competitors create.”
WorldSkills is Australia’s largest vocational education and excellence competition and is aligned to National Training Packages, Apprenticeships Australia and Jobs Australia schemes.
The competition celebrates its 40th anniversary in this year, while Palloys celebrates 70 years of servicing the Australian jewellery and precious metals industry.
Australia has an enviable record at WorldSkills; in 2015, a jewellery apprentice represented Australia at the 43rd WorldSkills event in Brazil, winning a silver medal.
Jyothi Forman, who had been an apprentice at NSW-based Georgies Fine Jewellery, was selected to represent Australia as part of the ‘Skillaroos’ team after winning gold in the 2014 WorldSkills Australia national competition.
At the 2016 national competition, Jason Nesbitt was awarded top prize in the Metals and Engineering – Jewellery category.
Competitors were asked to create an 18-carat yellow gold item and were judged on skills such as interpretation of design, soldering, surface finish, saw piercing and dimensions.
Melbourne-based Chloe Biddiscombe took the silver medal while Tyrus Shay, based in Sydney, was awarded the bronze. That year the event took place at Melbourne Showgrounds and saw more than 500 Australian trade and skill technicians compete across 60 categories.
In 2019, the last time the International competition took place, Australia's Nathan Kettle – of York Jewellers in Sydney – placed fifth in the Jewellery category. Kettle won the gold medal at the 2018 WorldSkills Australia Jewellery competition.
The next international WorldSkills competition is set to take place in Shanghai from 12-17 October 2022.
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