Lyon. “I am from Austria” sounds from the loudspeaker and red-white-red flags are raised. Thunderous applause reinforces the emotional mood in the crowd. The 47 WorldSkills starters from Austria are being pushed forward once again on today’s final day: parents, grandparents, siblings, employers, apprentice trainers and friends have traveled from home to support the local WorldSkills participants one last time.
“Adrenaline keeps us going”
Since Wednesday, the local professional aces have been working on complex tasks and have accessed everything they have trained and prepared for months. The strength reserves are running out, like tilers Florian Gruber from Aigen im Ennstal in Styria admits frankly: “Of course you are tired, but we can’t let that feeling arise today. After seven months of continuous training, I can’t wait for the moment when it’s all over. The relief will just be huge.”
Lower Austrians present a “real show”
The Lower Austrian concrete construction duo is also on the home stretch Stefan Huber and Christoph Kurz: “It’s just amazing when I look around here and see all the people who have come to us from Lower Austria,” says Huber. Kurz added: “Today we will present you another real show.”
Magdalena RathStyrian specialist for “Digital Construction” from Bad Blumau, explains: “There is no second attempt, no repetition: WorldSkills are only once in a lifetime. I designed the final days of the competition accordingly. I worked with focus and did everything I could. Now to hug my loved ones who traveled to Lyon because of me and to see this incredible applause makes me immensely proud.”
Welder Alexander Pflegerfrom St. Jakob im Walde in Styria, tries to transform the applause into energy: “It’s unbelievable how much strength you can draw from the support of family, friends and the many fans. This applause drives me until the end. For me it’s the decisive push!”
Lukas Frühwirtha plant electrician from Schwertberg in Upper Austria and vice-European champion, says: “Am I under power? I rather think I am the electricity. It feels like all the energy of the competition is flowing through me. The pressure is enormous, but at the same time it gives me the kick I need to surpass myself. We’ve trained so hard and now it’s time to show what we’re made of one last time. I’m looking forward to the medal ceremony.”
optoelectronics engineer Samuel Engel from Baden in Lower Austria sees it similarly: “Even when the energy drops, I actually try to give it my all again. I owe it to those who made the special trip to Lyon.” Also a forwarding logistics professional Charline Labes from Vienna attacks again: “It was a tough competition, but the adrenaline is still keeping us going. Our experts have prepared us well, and now it’s time to mobilize the last reserves.”
“Tears constantly well up in my eyes”
The support from home helps. Michaela Schweigermother of the Lower Austrian drywaller Fabian Schweigeris keeping her fingers crossed for her son: “It’s hard to put into words how much this affects me – I never thought it would affect me so emotionally. Tears constantly well up in my eyes. You want to run over and be by his side, but you know he can do it on his own. I’m sure he’ll give it his all and make the most of this experience. As soon as we heard that he was going to compete here, it was clear to us: We have to experience it, we have to see it with our own eyes.” Dad René Schweiger says: “It’s hard to put into words how proud we are of his achievements. He achieved things we could never have imagined. We are so proud of him!”
“It tears me apart with pride”
Clemens Salhoferapprentice coordinator at Resch & Frisch and trainer of pastry chefs Julia Kusel from Pennewang in Upper Austria, is also enthusiastic about his protégé’s achievements: “Yes, it almost tears me apart with pride. It’s really a very special moment. I have been accompanying Julia for years, starting as a young baker and pastry chef apprentice, up to her current role as a master baker and WorldSkills participant. It’s simply impressive to see what young people achieve at WorldSkills. As a training mentor and friend, this fills me with incredible pride. The requirements are enormous. Everything simply has to fit together – what they have learned in practice, the theoretical knowledge, the right recipe folders and, above all, the mental strength. All of this has to be brought to the point and they have to use all their skills and knowledge in this short time. This is incredible!”
High-ranking visitors from Austria
Familiar faces also join the hustle and bustle – like Martin KocherFederal Minister of Labor and Economics, who personally keeps his fingers crossed for the Austrian aces: “WorldSkills are not only a showcase for the skills of our young specialists, but also an important driver for the local economy. They impressively illustrate how important well-trained, highly qualified specialists are for Austria’s economic success. Our participants are ambassadors for excellence in vocational training and help to make the high level of our dual training internationally visible. The experience gained here flows directly into the further development of our economy, strengthens the spirit of innovation and secures Austria as a location in the long term!”
WKÖ Vice President Carmen Gobyalso there in person, says: “The atmosphere on the final day is incomparable: This is the most emotional moment together with the medal ceremony – and pure excitement. When the countdown starts, family, friends and colleagues cheer you on again and celebrate the final touches. And then to experience the relief of our young professionals after four tough days of competition and their joy at their own performance: these are goosebumps moments that you remember for a lifetime. We can be very, very proud because Team Austria did great in Lyon.”
SkillsAustria President Herk: “My heart is overflowing”
SkillsAustria President Josef Herk explains: “These are the best young talents in the world. In this competition, top talent from all countries compete against each other, and Austria is at the forefront – not only in terms of professional skills, but also in terms of passion and emotion. Of course, this fills us with endless pride. As the organization SkillsAustria, it is a privilege to accompany these outstanding young specialists on their path and to support them in their further development.” Herk particularly emphasizes the massive further development of SkillsAustria: “When I was there for the first time 17 years ago the fan trip consists of just five to ten people. Today there are around 1,000 people here. They are not just fans, but important ambassadors and multipliers for dual vocational training. This is of enormous importance and invaluable value. This development has made a significant contribution to the fact that school and vocational training are now on an equal footing and are particularly valued in society. My heart swells when I see our participants.”
How the medals are awarded
Marriage tomorrow, Sunday, (from 7 p.m., here in the live stream) the medal ceremony takes place in the 60,000-person Groupama Stadium in Lyon, the judges meet. Or rather: the national coaches. Because their expertise is also used for the jury evaluation. This means: Every participant – with minimal variations in the individual professions – is evaluated by all trainers, with the exception of their own coach. The following applies: no move in the last three days has gone unnoticed. Cleanliness of the workplace, precision, approach, planning and much more – depending on the profession – are taken into account in the strict jury verdict. Not only the final result is taken into account in the assessment criteria, but also the entire creation process.
The evaluation process is based on strict and transparent criteria: In case of doubt, the experts must agree on a common number of points, which excludes outliers by a single decision-maker in the upward or downward evaluation. The participants with the highest points win gold, silver and bronze. A complex system ultimately makes the points comparable across competitions. Just as a guide: the point range is usually between 600 and 800 points. Candidates who score over 700 points but fail to reach the podium are recognized with a “Medallion for Excellence”.
“In principle, the participants only know roughly where the points are. You must carry out each task expertly and down to the smallest detail, without knowing exactly what is being evaluated. We work with a 100-point scale, which is then converted to an 800-point scale in order to harmonize the ratings across all professions and determine the best participant,” explains the native of Upper Austria and Viennese by choice Stefan PraschlMember of the Board of Directors of WorldSkills International. His recipe for success for the world championship title: “It is important that you stay focused on all four days. Mistakes often happen, especially on the third day, in the afternoon, when the mental and physical stress is high. Things often get hectic on the last day because time is running out, and that’s when most mistakes happen. The person who makes the fewest mistakes will win.”
Livestream der „Closing Ceremony“
Medal ceremony at the Professional World Championships (on Sunday, September 15, 2024 – from 7 p.m., here in the stream)
Photos & video material
Photo-Credit: SkillsAustria
Videos: free for editorial purposes, no attribution required
- Pictures from Final day are in their own folder updated here (until around 10 p.m.).
- All pictures from third day of competition do you think …? Find here.
- At Photos from Team Austria 2024 in Lyon can be found here (updated daily).
Here you can find videos:
- Videos from today Final day can be found from around 8 p.m here.
- A video interview with Josef HerkPresident of SkillsAustria, you will find here.
- A video interview with Stefan Praschlboard member of WorldSkills International, about the points ranking here.
- A video interview with Jürgen KraftManaging Director of SkillsAustria, you will find here.
- Videos from Team Austria 2024 can be found here (updated daily).
- Josef HerkPresident of SkillsAustria
- Stefan Praschlboard member of WorldSkills International
- Clemens Salhoferapprentice coordinator at Resch & Frisch (and trainer for baker Julia Kusel)
- René Schweiger, Dad of drywaller Fabian Schweiger
- Michaela Schweiger, Mom of drywaller Fabian Schweiger
- Alexander Pfleger, Welder from Styria (PWK243/HSP)
OT-Audio-Material (.mp3)
Click here to download the MP3 files (including transcript)