Before the conclusion of WorldSkills 2022: Switzerland among the top nations
This coming Sunday, the WorldSkills Competition 2022, which will be held decentrally over a period of three months, will come to an end in Salzburg. Switzerland is once again among the top nations at this year's WorldSkills Championships. In 30 starts, the Swiss team has already won 15 medals. Four members of the SwissSkills National Team are still in action in Salzburg.
The format of this year's WorldSkills Championships is unique: Spread over 15 countries, the 62 competitions of the WorldSkills Competition 2022 have been held since September. Switzerland is taking part in a total of 34 competitions with 37 young professionals at the participant. This alternative format was developed, among others, on the initiative of the SwissSkills Foundation. It was only at the end of May that the WorldSkills 2022 planned for Shanghai were cancelled due to a pandemic. Switzerland then not only contributed the idea and concept of the decentralized world championships, but also made itself available as an organizer in 14 competitions - no other country took on the organization of so many WorldSkills disciplines.
Positive Swiss interim balance as organizer...
"The great effort was worth it. It was a huge challenge to set up and successfully stage 14 WorldSkills competitions at 9 locations within just a few weeks. Thanks to the great effort of the participating professional associations and many other organizations and people involved, we can draw a thoroughly positive conclusion from the WorldSkills Competition in Switzerland," says André Burri, Managing Director of SwissSkills. All over the world, more than 1000 young professionals were looking forward to WorldSkills 2022 and had prepared intensively. "In the meantime, the dream of WorldSkills participation seemed to vanish into thin air for them. The decentralized format has succeeded in giving young, ambitious professionals the opportunity to take part in the WorldSkills after all and to exchange ideas among the best professionals in their field."
...and as a participating nation
In addition to the positive conclusion from the perspective of the co-organizer, the Swiss results balance is also positive even before the last competitions in Salzburg. In the 30 competitions with Swiss participation so far, the SwissSkills National Team won 15 medals and an additional 12 diplomas, so-called Medallion for Excellence. The four Swiss world championship titles so far were celebrated by Juliana Thöny (confectioner-confectioner/Oberlunkhofen, AG), Florent Lacilla (automotive mechatronics/Cottens, FR) and the two duos Silvan Wiedmer (Winterthur, ZH) and Yunus Ruff (Winterthur, ZH) in the "Industry 4.0" competition, as well as Fabian Baumann (Oberdiessbach, BE) and Marc Baumberger (Koppigen, BE) in the landscaping competition.
Impressive medal haul
The yield of the young Swiss professionals, who all successfully started their careers with an apprenticeship and an EFZ qualification, is thus comparable to previous WorldSkills events. Only China and South Korea have won more medals in relation to their number of participants. However, these WorldSkills also confirm that the competition at the absolute top is getting tougher. Other Asian nations as well as France, the organizer of the next WorldSkills in 2024, made further gains compared to the last WorldSkills in Kazan in 2019.
Salzburg as the last stop of WorldSkills 2022
Whether Switzerland or France will be the European nation with the largest medal haul will be decided this week in Salzburg. From Thursday, the last four Swiss participants will be in action: bricklayer Ben Zaugg (Bärau, BE), electrician Patrik Siegenthaler (Linden, BE), plant electrician Yannick Flepp (Sedrun, GR) and agricultural machinery mechanic Pascal Hofstetter (Wildhaus, SG) will do their utmost to continue the Swiss success story at the WorldSkills Competition 2022.
Source: SwissSkills Foundation
Overview of the Swiss results at the WorldSkills 2022 so far
Gold medal (4)
- Confectionery: Juliana Thöny (Oberlunkhofen/AG)
- Automotive mechatronics technician: Florent Lacilla (Cottens/FR)
- Gardening and landscaping: Marc Baumberger (Koppigen/BE) and Fabian Baumann (Oberdiessbach/BE)
- Industry 4.0: Silvan Wiedmer (Winterthur/ZH) and Yunus Ruff (Winterthur/ZH)
Silver medal (5)
- Print technologist: Nina Manser (Kesswil/TG)
- Florist: Jasmin Wüthrich (Gossau/SG)
- Car body mechanic: Dominik Bartlome (Schwarzenburg/BE)
- Hotel Reception: Tim Oberli (Wiesendangen/ZH)
- Electronics technician: Mario Liechti (Windisch/AG)
Bronze medal (6)
- Bakery: Vera Stocker (Gunzwil/LU)
- Restaurant Service: Shania Colombo (Münchwilen/TG)
- Automation technicians: Dario Flükiger (Lützelflüh/BE) and Adrian Matthys (Möhlin/AG)
- Building carpenter: Romain Mingard (Couvet/NE)
- Plasterer drywall: Adrian Büttler (Grund near Gstaad/BE)
- Polymechanic Automation: Gil Beutler (Linden/BE)
Update November 28, 2022:
At the end of the decentralized "WorldSkills Competition 2022" in Salzburg, bricklayer Ben Zaugg (Bärau/BE) secured the fifth world championship title for Switzerland. Electrician Patrik Siegenthaler (Linden/BE), agricultural machinery mechanic Pascal Hofstetter (Wildhaus/SG) and plant electrician Yannick Flepp (Sedrun/GR) each won bronze. With 19 medals in 34 starts, the Swiss national vocational team is the best European nation at this year's World Vocational Championships.