The general objective of the SkillsComp project is to support the idea of regional and national vocational skills competitions.

In the project, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia transform their traditional competitions and organize practical skills competitions based on the WorldSkills format. Skills competitions raise the profile and recognition of skilled people, and show how important skills are in achieving economic growth. WorldSkills and EuroSkills are international events similar to sports Olympics where individual countries are represented by teams of competitors who compete in different skills. These are multi-day events with opening and closing ceremonies led by officials. Although Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia are part of the initiative, it still needs to be promoted among VET schools  and professional associations that belong to the manufacturing and engineering industries.

The total number of skills competitions delivered by the SkillsComp project was 12. Each partner selected 3 skills and collaborated with 3 different VET schools or associations related to those skills in order to organize 3 skills competitions based on the format of WorldSkills events.

We believe that competitions make vocational careers more attractive to the young and let VET students improve their skills. Skills competitions based on practical test projects move from the traditional knowledge based competitions toward the new practical format which also increases awareness of the WorldSkills initiative.

Vocational skills competitions in Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia were not only industry competitions but opportunities to learn, exchange experiences and make valuable contacts. The events demonstrated the importance of technical skills in modern labour market, and their success confirmed the need to support practical training and cooperation among VET schools and businesses. Our activities focused on trade schools and technical schools as individual entities with the potential to plan and implement vocational skills competitions into the teaching process. Finally, the competitions promoted national WorldSkills organizations, which demonstrate the importance of skills, motivate young people to learn their trade and excel in their craft.