In 2012, the Republic of Tatarstan acted as one of the driving forces for the Russian Federation to join the WorldSkills movement.
WorldSkills is an international non-profit movement which aims to increase the prestige of blue-collar occupations and to develop vocational training through the harmonisation of best practices and occupational standards across the world by organising and holding skills excellence competitions in each country and globally. WorldSkills International (WSI) is a global organisation that provides expert evaluation and development of international professional standards for blue-collar occupations in the industrial trades and service sectors.
As part of Russia’s entry into the WorldSkills movement, Kazan was entrusted with hosting Russian National Skills Competitions in 2014 and 2015. The competitions were organised by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan, Agency for the Development of Professional Communities and Skilled Workers (WorldSkills Russia) and Directorate for Sports and Social Projects.
On May 16-20, 2014, Kazan successfully played host to the 2nd Russian National Skills Competition. Young professionals competed in 36 key and 3 presentations skills. The competition brought together 432 entrants from 39 regions of Russia, as well as contestants representing Finland and South Ossetia. 487 experts, including 27 international ones from Australia, Austria, Armenia, Canada, Finland, Germany and Switzerland, evaluated the competitors’ entries. The Republic of Tatarstan team placed first in the overall standings.
The event generated a huge wave of buzz and attracted considerable public attention both in Tatarstan and Russia as a whole. Over 120 media representatives worked at the competition. 53,743 visitors attended the event. Live streams were watched daily by 6,500 people across 56 regions of the Russian Federation.
On May 19-23, 2015, Kazan staged the 3rd edition of the Russian National Skills Competition, which just like a year ago was hailed a huge success. 506 young professionals representing 46 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as 43 entrants from Belarus, Finland, Israel, Kazakhstan and Morocco showed off their talents across a range of skills. Entries were assessed by 635 experts from 11 countries (Belarus, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, South Africa and Switzerland).
As part of the 3rd Russian National Skills Competition, Kazan also hosted the inaugural edition of the Russian National Junior Skills Competition for schoolchildren aged 10 to 17 years. Entrants competed in 11 skills at 10 competition areas.
Simultaneously with the Russian National Skills Competition, Kazan also welcomed the Future Skills International Forum, which served as a unique platform for WSI member country delegates, experts and figures in academia and business to discuss professions of the future and current issues of personnel training. The forum brought together 57 international delegates, 43 Russian delegates and 10 international experts.
