Volunteers of the 45th WorldSkills Competition have started embarking on their duties. The Uniform volunteers and the Venue Management volunteers are among the first to start their shifts, with the Venue Navigation, Arrivals, and Departures, Accreditation volunteers and others to follow. Overall, 3,500 volunteers are in the team that will lend a hand across a range of functional areas during the Competition.
“The volunteer programme today is part and parcel of any international project. Volunteers are responsible for a substantial number of operational tasks; they create the vibe and atmosphere of the project, and assist the Organizing Committee. The majority of our volunteers are young people. I’m sure that their involvement in the WorldSkills Competition will help most of them decide on their profession, possibly the most important choice in their lives,” said Deputy Director General of ANO Directorate for Sports and Social Projects Alexander Karpov.
According to the results of the WorldSkills Kazan 2019 volunteer campaign, more than 15,000 applications were received from 90 countries. The average candidate is 18-22 years old. The most experienced one has turned 81 (Moscow oblast), while the youngest ones (Kazan) will celebrate their 14th birthdays this year.
Most applications come from the CIS candidates (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Ukraine), India, China, UAE, and Germany. Also, the candidates from Australia, Brazil, Argentina, USA, South Africa, and Seychelles wish to volunteer in the Competition.
Altogether, the volunteers will work in 33 functional areas and at 97 different positions – at the Competition workshops, in such services as Transport, Accreditation, Uniform, Food and Beverages, etc., to accompany the national delegations, and also at the information points around Kazan to be constructed for the city’s residents and guests.
The volunteers will assist the Competition Organizer at each venue of the Competition. Over 2,500 people will volunteer at Kazan Expo. Over 900 volunteers will have shifts at the Kazan Arena Stadium on the days of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Besides, they will help at the WorldSkills Village, Main International Centre, airport, railway stations and other venues.
Ahead of their shifts, the volunteers will take compulsory training. The educational programme consists of four modules – competition-specific, skill-specific, functional and venue-specific. It is based on the principles of non-formal education and includes the best international practices for training coaches to work with volunteers.
WorldSkills Kazan 2019
The 45th WorldSkills Competition – the main international event of 2019 in Russia – will take place in Kazan on 22-27 August 2019. More than 1,300 Competitors from 63 countries and regions will compete in 56 skills.
Kazan won the right to host the Competition in 2015 having been ahead of other WorldSkills International member countries after voting. The WorldSkills Russia movement embraces all 85 Russian regions and is one of priority vocational talent development projects.
Press Office of WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Competition Organizer
