MoVE project

At the recent 2010 WSA National Competition in Brisbane a new research project was initiated, supported by WorldSkills Australia, Dusseldorp Skills Forum and RMIT.

The aims of the research are to identify, develop and promote the key characteristics of excellence in trade and vocational skills. These aims are being addressed by focusing on the experiences of WorldSkills competitors - through their own eyes and through the main groups around them - judges, parents, employers and trainers.

Over the three days of the 2010 National Competition, competitors were asked to share their own story about their WorldSkills experience and to answer some questions related to their story. Likewise, the judges were asked to share stories about their reflections about the experiences of competitors in WorldSkills training and competition. Later in the year the views of parents, employers and trainers about the experiences of their WorldSkills competitor will also be sought.

Over time we aim to build a thorough understanding of what characteristics define vocational excellence, having covered all perspectives, and apply that knowledge to improve the support and delivery of WorldSkills competitions and more generally vocational education.

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences with the research team in Brisbane. It was a little bit different compared to a standard survey, and will provide a wealth of data from which to model excellence. There is more data to be collected over the next few months and in the meantime if you want to know more about the research that this project springs, watch the MoVE overview video.