Every two years hundreds of young skilled people under the age of 23 gather together from around the world to compete and test themselves against demanding international  WorldSkills standards.

HITO is committed to have a competitor from New Zealand at the next WorldSkills competition in London in October 2011.

To take part in WorldSkills, you and your employer need passion, commitment and enthusiasm. It will involve training, practice, attending workshops and refining your skills so that you are up to the challenge of competing.

WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, non-profit Charitable Trust founded in 1986, dedicated to encouraging young people to excel in vocational skills. This is achieved through exposure to competitions at a Regional, National and International level. The purpose of the organisation is to:

» Encourage, recognise and reward skill excellence.
» Raise the standards of skills training in New Zealand.
» Raise the self-confidence and self-esteem of the young participants.
» Have New Zealand recognised as one of the highest skilled nations

What are the benefits of WorldSkills?

FOR COMPETITORS

•Learn to set goals and excel in other facets of their lives.
•Learn to work under pressures of time, quality of product and performance.
•Gain tangible evidence of their workplace abilities.
•Self-confidence and practical skills from their participation are increased.

 FOR TRAINERS

•Can benchmark the effectiveness of their training programmes in Regional, National and International arenas.
•The competitions promote the benefits of investing in training to companies.
•The competitions provide visible demonstrations of occupational standards.

FOR INDUSTRY

•Participation leads to improved motivation and increased productivity in salons.
•Ensuring that the skills of the NZ workforce  are linked to high standards.
•Sponsorship can generate media interest in the salon.

NEW ZEALAND

•Youth are motivated to improving career opportunities.
•Increase of the awareness of vocation industry training.
•International competitions improve the standing of the industry.

Regional Competitions

There are 4 regional competitions that are planned in New Zealand.

• Wellington :  16 May 2010
• Dunedin :  23 May 2010
• Auckland :  30 May 2010
• Christchurch:  07 June 2010

Each 8 hour competition day will consist of 3 modules, each will be marked separately by a panel of judges. The modules are:

1. Ladies’ Technical Consumer Day with Colour Enhancement.
2. Men’s Fashion Haircut with Colour.
3. Ladies’ Hair by Night with Hairpieces and Ornamentation (conversion).

National Competition

The two regional winners from each regional competition will go on to compete in the National WorldSkills Competition in September 2010 at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT).

The overall National Winner will be announced that the HITO Annual Awards evening on 25 September 2010.

There will also be a special WorldSkills Awards Ceremony on Sunday 26 September 2010.

 To get involved, contact Rob Clarke-Gray at HITO on (04) 499 1180 or you can find out more on the HITO website http://www.hito.org.nz/Worlskills1.aspx