Worldskills Competition

Leipzig, Germany

 
 
 

Vocabulary

advise	take part	it takes getting used to
kind of	to go for	monument
trades	face off	define (2)
panel	fierce (2)	world over
dye	respond	pose a challenge
track	pitch (2)	encourage
extra	entrant	attractive
battle	discipline	for instance
amuse	undergo	impressed
unwind	mingle	amusement park
defeat	chance	roller coaster
arena	wedding

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 
 
 
 

Transcript

It was a ten hour flight to Leipzig for the team from Colombia. They say they like Germany, even if the weather takes some getting used to. It’s summer here, and they’re freezing.

Teams from more than fifty countries are here to take part in the 2013 Worldskills competition. Over one thousand entrants altogether. And all going for gold in their disciplines.

The competitions, a kind of Olympics of skilled trades, is on from the second to the seventh of July. An international panel of experts defined and set the task for 46 disciplines.

The competition is especially fierce among the hairdressers. Thirty seven stylists from the world over, are facing off here.

The one from Thailand has trained for over a year, and won several prizes in Asia. But European hair still poses a challenge to her. European and Asian hair is very different.

But I’ve trained a lot and read up a lot about how brown and blond hair responds to dye.

The idea behind the competition is encourage young people to get good training.

“Worldskills are clearly a pitch for the dual-track education and training system. They show young people that learning these trades is attractive and fun. I’d advise anyone to do this before going on to college. It’s the best thing you can do.”

And there are plenty of extras. A guided tour of Leipzig for instance. It’s the young hairdressers’ first time in Germany. Everything the streets, buildings, trams look very different than Bangkok.

She’ll be taking home photos and memories of the monument to the Battle of Nations when Napoleon met defeat.

“I’m impressed. Germany is beautiful and I’ve never seen anything like this. Competitors also have time for an afternoon at the nearby amusement park.

The roller coaster is a good way to unwind from the pressure of bringing home a medal, for the Colombians, amongst others.

The people chosen to come here are among their country’s best at their trades, and they’ve all undergone months of hard training.

Christian Fegara of Colombia thinks his chances are good.

“There aren’t that many other polytechnicians here. There are only thirteen. The strongest competitors come from Japan, Korean, and Germany.”

Outside the arena, the teams take the opportunity to mingle. A Japanese man tries a Moroccan wedding dance. And a Colombian has made some new friends in Leipzig.
 

 
 

Questions

1. How many participants are there at the Worldskills Competition?

2. “They are all going for gold.” What does this mean?

3. The skills are only about electronics, mechanics, and carpentry. Is this correct or wrong?

4. Are Asian and Caucasian hair same or different?

5. What is the purpose of the Worldskills Competition? The purpose of the worldskills competition is….

6. Is the competition is only about performing technical tasks?

7. The competitors only competed in the tournament. True or false? What did see and do in Leipzig?

8. Polytechnics is very difficult. Yes or no?

 
 
A. What sort of skills do you have? Who among your friend is the “most skilled”?

B. How did you learn this skill?

C. There is a shortage of skilled workers in my city and country. Is this correct or wrong?

D. What will happen in the future?

E. What should be done to increase the skill of students and workers?