The talent and skill of TeamWA was proven to be the best in the nation after being awarded with more than 50 medals and two prestigious shields.
TeamWA won the Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS) Shield for the second time running in an unforgettable display of Western Australia’s training and skills excellence at the 2021 WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
Of the 150 medals awarded, TeamWA competitors won 54 medals – 19 gold, 22 silver and 13 bronze medals – and seven awards for excellence. Sixteen medals were won by Perth South competitors, earning them the Evatt Shield for best performing region.
This year’s national championships were hosted by WA and proudly supported by the McGowan Labor Government.
Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery presented the shield and medals to WA winners at a closing ceremony at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre last night (October 27).
All up, 239 talented apprentices, trainees and students from across the country competed in 55 different skills events at the national championships, held in Perth and several satellite locations across Australia.
New skills on display this year were cyber security and cloud computing, which TeamWA competed in for the first time along with the mechatronics, visual merchandising and VETiS primary industries categories. WA secured the top place in all of these categories.
TeamWA’s 82 competitors included the 23 Year 12 students who are undertaking VET studies at 16 secondary schools across the State who won the VETiS Shield.
The VETiS Shield is awarded every two years for outstanding performance by secondary school students at the national championships.
Having won the VETiS Shield in 2018, TeamWA remains the first and only State to take the shield from New South Wales in its 17-year history.
Almost 10,500 visitors watched TeamWA and Team Tasmania compete live at the Perth national championships, and around 10,000 people tuned into the national events via live stream.
A full list of winners is available at https://www.worldskills.org.au
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“The WorldSkills closing ceremony is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by many people who showcased the best that Australian training has to offer.
“We are proud of TeamWA’s amazing achievements, which show that our country’s best talents are training right here in Western Australia.
“The past 18 months have demonstrated how vital skills and training are for building a sustainable workforce that can meet immediate and long term skills needs.
“TeamWA’s achievements will inspire a new generation of talent to follow a VET pathway into our State’s skilled workforce.”
