Germany and Luxembourg plan joint application to hold EuroSkills 2027

Once again, in a historically significant location for Europe, history was written for the future. Representatives from WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg came together at Europaplatz (Europe Square) in Schengen, Luxembourg to sign a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The training organisations plan to submit a joint application to hold EuroSkills 2027. This is the first time in the 15-year history of WorldSkills Europe that two nations have wanted to submit a joint bid for the European Championship of vocational skills.

"For Luxembourg, taking on a major project such as this alone is not so easy," explains Gil Belling, President of WorldSkills Luxembourg at the signing of the MoU. "We are hugely delighted to be playing a leading role together with Germany and planning to submit an application involving two nations. Our cooperation may well also encourage other countries in future to consider jointly undertaking the organisation of Europe's largest training event."

EuroSkills is held every two years and is the largest event of its type in Europe. Skilled workers up to the age of 25 compete against each other in their respective professions in front of tens of thousands of visitors and battle it out for medals and the title of European Champion. The partnership between WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg, and their intended bid, mean that EuroSkills 2027 is set to be the pinnacle of vocational education and training with its impact felt across Europe. The goal is to provide the general international public and specialist audiences from Europe and around the world with an unforgettable time and offer them the perfect showcase of the education and business landscape in both countries.

With the planned application to hold EuroSkills 2027, WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg are seeking to shift the focus on to vocational education and training, on to its special features and benefits, but in particular on to the wide variety of occupational profiles. The aim above of all is to generate enthusiasm among young people and get them excited about vocational training. Even during the application phase itself, both partners would like to see a more intensive exchange at European level via joint school projects and through a coming together of competition participants and their trainers as well as delegates from WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg. Hubert Romer, Managing Director of WorldSkills Germany therefore stressed the following at the signing of the memorandum of understanding: "For me, at an emotional level, Schengen represents Europe without borders. This Europe can only function if together we all truly embrace this idea. We therefore want to use our joint project to realise campaigns and projects across both of our countries for the benefit of young people throughout Europe."

Representatives of WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg as well as Michel Gloden (second from left), Mayor of Schengen, came together at the historically significant Europaplatz in Schengen for the formal signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.

One of these projects which the two organisations – brought together through their planned application – have committed to in the memorandum of association has a link to the Olympics. Here, teams from various nations compete under the Olympic flag and it’s similarly conceivable that an international team could also compete at EuroSkills 2027. What is special about this team is it should be comprised of skilled workers with recognised refugee status and who are supported by trainers from across Europe.

In their Memorandum of Understanding, WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills Luxembourg have set out the importance of international cooperation. They want to strengthen Europe using joint training projects with European and international appeal. "As part of this strong partnership, our aim is to also develop further projects extending beyond the cooperation involved in the planned application to stage EuroSkills 2027", said Belling. Romer added: "Our concern is international exchange and the funding and instruction for training centres and training personnel. We want all participants to learn from one another and with one another."

The Europaplatz in Schengen was therefore the perfect location for the signing of the MoU. "Schengen embraces Europe every day," underlined Michel Gloden, Mayor of Schengen. "Cooperation is the future. As a community we therefore support international projects such as these." Moving on from Schengen, both organisations now go into the next phase together. The application request must be officially submitted on 15 October 2021. The application itself must then have arrived at WorldSkills Europe by no later than the end of July 2022. In March 2023, the WorldSkills Europe member nations then finally decide on the applications received at their General Assembly and vote on the staging of EuroSkills 2027.