Belgians shine at Worldskills contest in São Paulo

Six Belgians received Medaillons of Excellence at the WorldSkills Competition held in São Paulo, Brazil, where 1,189 contestants from 62 countries battledit out in 50 vocational and technical skills categories.

The competition, held every two years, is the world’s largest vocational education and skills excellence event, for the best young people in their field under age 22. It aims to expose young people to a variety of skilled careers and give them the tools and resources needed to build a future.

This year’s contest was the largest ever and the first held in Latin America culminating in a closing ceremony Sunday featuring about 9,000 competitors, experts, delegates, sponsors and partners.

A total of 22 Belgians competed, six of whom received a Medallion of Excellence for achieving 500 points or more in the categories of painting and decorating, restaurant service, cooking, welding, carpentry and joinery.

The next WorldSkills contest is due to be held in Abu Dhabi in 2017.