Victorians will make up more than a third of the 33 young apprentices, trainees, and students representing Australia and showcasing their vocational skills at the WorldSkills 47th International Competition in France this September.

Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney extended her congratulations to all the students selected for Team Australia – named the Skillaroos – who will join 1,500 participants from 75 countries competing in Lyon.

The international trades and skills competition gives thousands of apprentices and trainees the chance to demonstrate their talent across more than 59 disciplines. Over four days, competitors will complete practical tasks set by industry experts to assess their knowledge, competence and employability skills against a set of strict criteria.

The 12 Victorians competing in the event this year make up the largest Victorian contingent of Skillaroos since 1995 – which was also when the competition was last hosted in Lyon.

These are the top apprentices and trainees in their fields – which include traditional skills like carpentry, heavy vehicle mechanics and plumbing, and new skills in areas like cloud computing, additive manufacturing and mechatronics.

Star van Wageningen is one of the Victorian Skillaroos who will be competing in 3D Digital Game Art, which she describes as a happy medium between art and technical skill – an evolving industry that is providing career pathways and opportunities for students.

Before heading to France, the Skillaroos will have a final training exercise at the 2024 Global Skills Challenge in Victoria this May, which will be hosted at various Victorian TAFE campuses and will simulate the conditions of the international competition.

The Allan Labor Government – and Victoria’s world-class TAFEs and teachers – congratulate each member of the Australian Skillaroos team.

Since 2014, the Labor Government has invested more than $4 billion to repair the broken TAFE system brought to its knees by the former Liberal Government and introduced Free TAFE in 2019 – helping more than 157,500 students gain the skills for the jobs they want, while saving $436 million in fees.

To find out more about WorldSkills and see the Victorians selected for Team Australia, visit www.worldskills.org.au.