Team Canada during the closing ceremonies of the 43rd WorldSkills competition in São Paulo, Brazil.
Following an intense and high spirited 43rd WorldSkills Competition, the Closing Ceremony of WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 brought an end the largest competition in WorldSkills history and the first ever held in Latin America. The event took place in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 12 to 15.
Approximately 9,000 competitors, experts, delegates, sponsors, partners and supporters recognized the excellence of the competitors from around the world. There were 50 different competitions, but of course we had our eyes on just two: Auto Body Repair and Car Painting. Justin Dambitis and Kassandra Plante-Bilodeau represented Canada in their respective competitions. Plante-Bilodeau came in 13th overall in Car Painting, with a total score of 484 points. Dambitis racked up a score of 494 in Auto Body Repair, coming 10th overall. The competition at this level is intense, with many competitors landing final scores that are very close together.
During the closing ceremonies, WorldSkills President Simon Bartley expressed his thanks to and admiration for the amazing community of individuals and organizations from around the globe that contributed to the success of the event. He encouraged everyone in the audience to take home and share all they learned throughout the competition about themselves, about their fellow competitors, and about their skill.
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Bartley said that the close of the competition is “merely the end of the beginning.” Stating that the “real work” starts now, Bartley encouraged all in the audience to take back home the experience and enthusiasm they developed here, and “use it as a legacy of this competition to spur development across their countries, regions, industries, and colleges.”
For more information on the WorldSkills Competition, please visit worldskills.org
