KAZAN: A Saudi delegation of skilled workers participating in the 45th edition of WorldSkills, the world championships of vocational skills, in Kazan, Russia. “The competition will see the participation of 1,300 experts from 63 countries in 56 categories. The Saudi delegation will compete in the aircraft maintenance and welding categories after they were trained by specialists,” said Dr. Rashid bin Mohammed Al-Zahrani, head of the Saudi delegation and deputy governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). Hassan Hussain Al-Rashid from the Saudi Technical Institute for Petroleum Services was chosen to compete in the welding category, while Idris Abduljalil Al-Hajji from the International Aviation Technical College in Riyadh was selected for aircraft maintenance. They were chosen after more than 2,500 young men and women were shortlisted in the Kingdom’s regions of Riyadh, Qassim, Makkah and the Eastern Province. Over 500 contestants from 14 different categories competed through interviews and tests to enter the competition.BACKGROUND The competition will see the participation of 1,300 experts from 63 countries in 56 categories. WorldSkills started in 1950 after the Spanish Workers Union organized the first national vocational competition in Madrid. “Workshops were organized for the contestants representing the Kingdom, in addition to a training session on methods of evaluation and arbitration so they can sit as international judges in the competition,” he said. TVTC aims to empower young men and women aged 23 and below in international competitions in order to shed light on the importance of technical skills and encourage them to innovate. Dr. Fahad bin Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijri, CEO of Colleges of Excellence, said that the competition covers industrial and service professions with the highest international standards. “This competition aims to promote technical skills, encourage young people to acquire them and discover cooperation opportunities,” he added. WorldSkills started in 1950 after the Spanish Workers Union organized the first national vocational competition in Madrid.