One School – One Country unites Kazan schools with WorldSkills teams from around the globe

One School – One Country, one of the features of the 45th WorldSkills Competition, took place in Kazan, Russia today. Representatives of national teams of the WorldSkills International Member countries and regions visited 58 schools in Kazan and Laishevo District of the Republic of Tatarstan.

During the visits, WorldSkills Competitors met students, learned more about Russian, and Tatar culture. They also shared the culture and traditions of their own countries and regions. Competitors shared their passion for skills and encouraged students to visit the Competition in the coming days.

“I am positive that One School – One Country will prove to be an unforgettable experience for both Competition delegates and students of schools in Kazan. Firstly, they will embrace the atmosphere of friendship and, secondly, they will learn many new things about vocational skills in other countries,” said Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills International.

WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Project Executive, Emil Gubaydullin, added that “the goal of One School – One Country is to improve career guidance and cultural exchanges between countries. Our schoolchildren have been eagerly waiting to welcome their guests, and now the time has come. I am sure this will be a very useful experience for all of us and will encourage closer international relations and intercultural dialogue.”

From 23-26 August, the local students will visit the WorldSkills event which is taking place at Kazan Expo. “The traditional One School – One Country exchange project is a special event for Russia where our students can get acquainted with other countries’ cultural traditions and learn about skills from future WorldSkills Champions. This will enable them to decide on a profession, choose the skill they feel most attached to, and further participate in WorldSkills Juniors competitions,” said Alina Doskanova, Russia’s Technical Delegate to WorldSkills International.

“Our students compete on the Russian stage annually and this year 12-16-year-old juniors from 13 countries will compete at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.”

Beyond Kazan, all schools of the Russian Federation have been able to have a taste of One School – One Country through WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Lesson – a thematic class dedicated to the event. More than anything though this is a day for the WorldSkills Competitors and the Russian schoolchildren they met.

“One School – One Country is a programme that really highlights the best of what WorldSkills is all about”, said Amelia Addis, a former competitor in the floristry competition. “It brings people together from across the world and encourages them to learn about other cultures. It is always the highlight of any Competition and a truly inspiring day to be part of”.

WorldSkills Kazan 2019

WorldSkills Kazan 2019 will be held from August 22-27. More than 1,300 competitors from 63 WorldSkills Member countries and regions will compete in 56 skills. This will be the largest international event in Russia in 2019.

Kazan was awarded the right to host the event in 2015, after a vote of WorldSkills Members. WorldSkills Russia works in all 85 regions of the country and it is one of the priority projects for the federal government in the field of personnel training and economic development.

Press Office of WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Competition Organizer