Welcome to WorldSkills New Zealand

Home of vocational skill competitions and much more

WorldSkills New Zealand is an independent, non-profit charitable trust founded in 1986, dedicated to encouraging excellence in vocational skills. Many people know WorldSkills for its competitions. This is just one part of what we do. We focus on competitions and the promotion and development of vocational skills and occupations throughout New Zealand.

The 47th WorldSkills Competition will take place 10-15 September 2024

Left to right: WorldSkills NZ team bound for Lyon — Left to right: Michael Hey, Michael Naus, Neill Adkins, Jack Butler, Bryce Arnold, Elliott Farnan and Carl Rankin (Absent, Jeroen Hattink)

New Zealand competitors Elliott Farnan and Jack Butler

New Zealand competitors Elliott Farnan (Aircraft maintenance) and Jack Butler (Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning)

The International 47th WorldSkills Competition

It’s all go as we prepare for our participation in the International 47th WorldSkills Competition in France.

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will take place from 10–15 September at EUREXPO Lyon in France. The international competition will welcome close to 1,500 competitors from 65 countries.

This year, two competitors, Jack Butler and Elliott Farnan, will represent WorldSkills New Zealand at the International 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France. Jack and Elliott will be supported by two skill experts, a team leader, technical delegate and official delegate.

Our full team includes:

Elliott Farnan, Competitor (Aircraft Maintenance)
Jack Butler, Competitor (Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning)
Jeroen Hattink, Skill expert (Aircraft Maintenance)
Neill Adkins, Skill expert (Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning)
Bryce Arnold, (Team Leader)
Michael Naus (Technical Delegate)
Carl Rankin (Official Delegate)
Michael Hey (Reserve Aircraft Maintenance Competitor).

The WorldSkills International competitions, like a world championship for vocational skills, take place every two years and are hosted by member countries from across the globe.

These competitions promote apprenticeship, professional training, mobility, youth, and their skills. The events and network help to skill development through promoting and developing global training standards, benchmarking systems, and enhancing industry engagement, as well as influence industry, government, and educators through cooperation and research.