With increasing concerns for our fragile environment, trades have become a lot cleaner, smarter and eco-friendly, employing careful measures and sustainability principles. This green initiative was seen particularly at this year's WorldSkills National Competition held in Sydney last weekend.
Known as the “skill Olympics”, WorldSkills is recognised as Australia’s largest and most prestigious trade and skills showcase. It is therefore an influential platform for promoting messages about social values and . The environment and doing all we can to preserve it, is now an important point on the agenda, especially with the recent Rudd Government and its carbon emissions scheme proposal.
According to WorldSkills CEO, Mark Callaghan, the Australian competition is leading the way internationally with an environmentally sustainable competition.
Simon Buchanan, in the video 'Landscaping Lifestyles at WorldSkills', tells how there is an increasing focus by trades and businesses on being green and ecologically efficient, not only for the environment, but for the economy too. Check out the scores of other WorldSkills videos which cover sustainability skills.
Indeed there was a Skills for Sustainability Award at this year's WorldSkills National event. It was handed out to the category of Vehicle Painting for its environmentally-sensitive approach, such as its use of water-based paints, which are ecologically more efficient than the solvents which have conventionally been used in the automotive industry.
Congratulations to the Lead Project Designer: Brian Johnson, and the Category Convenor: Steve Crompton - the winners of the inaugural 'Outstanding Leadership in Showcasing Skills for Sustainability' Project Design and Category Convenor awards - a world first in the WorldSkills movement.
There were six other highly commended categories in the Sustainability Awards:
- Bricklaying
- Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
- Cookery
- Detailed Joinery & Shopfitting
- Landscape Construction
- Painting & Decorating
'The Green Team' - a multi-disciplinary group of event management students from the Sydney Institute of TAFE combined with environmental-science students from University of New South Wales (UNSW) were responsible for choosing the winner of this honour.
Across ten criteria, including: energy, water, waste - reduce, re-use, recycle, innovation and best practice, the Green Team evaluated that Vehicle Painting led the way, for its skills in introducing and embracing new technology, to using environmentally friendly products, and minimising energy.