Third WorldSkills Russia national championship’s final opens in Kazan

The Third national WorldSkills Russia championship’s final opened in Kazan on Tuesday evening. Attendees at the ceremony were Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, acting Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and WorldSkills Russia agency for professional communities and working personnel promotion general director Robert Urazov.

The championship’s final runs in Kazan between 19 and 23 May, with the venues located at Kazan Fairs exhibition centre.

The participants will compete in 55 nominations. Team Tatarstan was assembled based on the regional championship held on 25 February to 29 April in 47 competences on the premises of 31 vocational training institutions. The team is 93-strong, with 64 experts from Tatarstan taking part as well.

A total of 536 contestants and 486 experts arrived in the Tatarstan capital for the final round.

Besides the Russian participants, young people from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Israel, Finland and Morocco will perform.

Olga Golodets welcomed the competitors. “You stand at the origins of a large movement. You are over 500 here today, the best of the best, people who continue old traditions of crafts, mastery and proficiency,” she said. “Time will pass and movement will become million-strong,” she noted.

She wished good luck to everyone and read out a welcoming message from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

“Our country hosts the professional skills show for a third time but the show has already gained the reputation of a spectacular and meaningful event. I am convinced, a strong Russian team will be formed based on the championship’s results that will competently represent Russia at the world championship in Brazil,” the message reads.

“It is a great honour for us to host a championship as important for the second year in a row,” acting Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov said. “This year it is different and represents new occupations. Our goods manufacturers are very interested, because your skills mean our competitive capacity and our future.”

Twenty five resource centres would be set up in Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. “We will solve the task in the next 3 to 4 years,” he pledged, recalling Russia had bid to host the 2019 WorldSkills Competition.

Vows on behalf of experts and competition participants were then made and state flags hoisted to the sounds of Russia and Tatarstan anthems.

Olga Golodets, Rustam Minnikhanov and Robert Urazov pressed a symbolic button to open the WorldSkills Russian final round.