Jorge Arevalo, Deputy Minister of Vocational Training, and Rikardo Lamadrid, Director of Technology and Advanced Learning, attended the start of the EuskoSkills 2021 Vocational Training Championship this morning in Irun. The tournament will take place over two days at the Ficoba Exhibition Center in Irun.

Today and tomorrow (October 20th and 21st), 146 students from 41 public and contracted Vocational Training schools will compete in one of the 19 EuskoSkills 2021 categories. This year’s tournament also features 93 tutors from these students, along with 19 coordinators, one from each competition category (these are also teachers). In this edition, on the other hand, 39 companies contribute to the organization or development of the competition.

During these two days, around 3,000 Vocational Training students will come to Ficoba to watch the tournament and cheer on their classmates.

Professional skills

EuskoSkills is a competition organized by the Vice-Minister for Vocational Training of the Department of Education for students enrolled in Vocational Training courses. Students take part in competitions related to the cycle they are studying. A prerequisite for this is no more than 23 years of age before 31 December 2022 (in the case of Mechatronics and Industry 4.0, this limit is extended to 26 years).

Students taking part in the competition must demonstrate that they have mastered the skills and abilities inherent in the training cycle they are studying and, in order to do so, they must complete a number of tests in a day and a half. However, in the EuskoSkills tournament, in addition to the technical skills of the profession or sector, other indirect skills that the student must use to complete the test are also assessed. The student goes out of his or her comfort zone to show his or her professional and personal worth.

The main goal of this initiative is, through tournaments, to realize that high skills and levels of competence make a key contribution to professional success and self-development. The EuskoSkills tournament is also a unique opportunity to promote the diversity of Vocational Training and its professional areas in Basque society. Participating in these “Vocational Training Olympics” is also a special motivation for students, and it becomes an ideal meeting place for students from other schools in the Basque Country to coexist and strengthen their relationships.

Categories

The EuskoSkills 2021 tournament is developed in 19 categories. In each modality of the tournament, a reference Vocational Training School is chosen, and a teacher from that school is responsible for the organization of this modality. In 2021 they are competing in the following modalities:

• Mechatronics
• Mechanical design-CAD
• CNC Milling
• Welding
• Body repair
• Electronics
• Web development
• Electrical installations
• Industrial control
• Carpentry
•  Hairdressing
• Aesthetics
•  Car technology
• Cooking
• Network systems administration
• Socio-sanitary care
• Design of 3D games and animations
• Collaborative robotics
• Industry 4.0. (show)

The winning student in each category will represent the Basque Country in the SpainSkills national championships to be held in Madrid next March. And if they win, they can compete in the EuroSkills and world championships (the so-called WorldSkills).

Basque Government Press Release