3 Times Gold, Once Bronze: Sweeping Victory for SGBA at the WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi
21.11.2017

3 Times Gold, Once Bronze: Sweeping Victory for SGBA at the WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi

“That’s just crazy!”, the furniture carpenter Sven Bürki from the canton of Thurgau simply said. Behind the madness: In mid-October, Bürki won a gold medal at the WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi. Just like the restaurant service pro Tatjana Caviezel from Uetliburg and software developer Manuel Allenspach from Gossau, both in the canton of St.Gallen. Together with carpenter and joiner Fabio Holenstein, who earned a bronze medal in his specialty area, they delivered an excellent showcase of the St.GallenBodenseeArea’s professional crafts and skills at this year’s vocational world championships of young professionals.                                                                                    

The first WorldSkills ever took place in 1950 in Madrid, where 12 Portuguese and Spanish professionals faced off in the skills competition. This year’s vocational world championships in Abu Dhabi welcomed approximately 1300 young participants from 58 nations and regions. The majority of the competitors in 51 occupations in the categories Construction and Building Technology, Creative Arts and Fashion, ICT, Manufacturing and Engineering, Social and Personal Services, as well as Transport and Logistics is below the age limit of 23 years old.

Not only the representatives of the SGBA, but the entire 38-strong Swiss delegation surely left their mark at the vocational world championships in the United Arab Emirates: 11 gold medals, six times silver and three bronzes placed Switzerland second in the nations’ ranking – only China bested the Swiss. Which makes Switzerland «best European Nation» by far, according to the SwissSkills Association (which also organizes national vocational competitions). At the same time, the 11 gold medals establish a new Swiss record.

Three of them will find a new home in the St.GallenBodenseeArea. Congratulations!

Find out more about SwissSkills and WorldSkills: https://www.swiss-skills.ch