The Board Meeting held during the Competition Preparation Meeting (CPM) for EuroSkills 2018 was mostly focused on the upcoming EuroSkills competition.
The report given concerning preparation for EuroSkills 2018 confirmed 33 skills to be showcased at the event, two of which were proposed as demonstration skills. There will also be seven sponsorship packages on offer with 90-100 media partners expected to sign up. The board also discussed the nationwide campaign strategy leading up to the event, which begins on September 26.
The review of the evaluation report regarding the application of WorldSkills Russia to host EuroSkills 2022 as well as the validation visit was carried out. As the outcome of both the review and the visit were positive, the Board was happy to put the proposal up for a vote at the General Assembly.
Discussion were conducted with Joao Santos, European Commission’s DG for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion, regarding financial support for future national and global competitions.
Collaborative efforts between WorldSkills Europe and WorldSkills International were also discussed with David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills.
Further discussion were held around the needs for services around marketing and communication, as well as administration and finances.
Possible bids from Europe for hosting the 2023 WorldSkills Competition were also an item for discussion and will be discussed further on Europe hosting the international competition in the future.
A meeting was also held with the Audit Committee to discuss 2017 finances and look at financial strategy leading up to 2020.
A decision was made for WSE to look further into supporting Members’ use of European funding, particularly Erasmus+, for organisational and strategic activities relating to participation in and development of local and global skills competitions. It was also decided that WorldSkills Europe shall work closely with WorldSkills International in order to improve its practices and activities and enhance its overall image.
The Board also welcomed Laurence Gates, who was recently contracted to provide General Manager services to WorldSkills Europe.