Six young Queenslanders have been selected as part of the 32 strong Australian ‘Skillaroos’ team which is competing at the WorldSkills International Competition in July this year.

The six successful Queenslanders come from a diverse range of skill areas including fitting and turning (Brandon Gillett – competing in the Polymechanics category and Philip Matthews-Frederick – competing in the Manufacturing Team Challenge category); beauty care (Hannah Colquhoun); sheet metal work (Jay Logan); electrical (Shaun Francis – competing in the Electrical Control category); and cookery (Jessie Lucas).

The team has a full schedule leading up to their departure date, with plans to attend a Global Skills Challenge in Perth at the end of April and an official farewell ceremony in late May just prior to the team’s departure for Germany.

The team will compete at the Leipzig Trade Fair which will open its doors to over 1,000 competitors from 63 countries worldwide, 2,000 experts, 3,000 volunteers and 200,000 visitors on 2 July.

WorldSkills Australia chief executive Mark Callaghan says the Queenslanders are now honing their impressive skills for an even bigger stage.

“Already team members have been talking about the milestones they are looking forward to, such as, receiving their Australian uniforms and the first morning they wake up in Germany, but for now the recognition has encouraged them to focus on learning new skills in the months ahead.

“I’m confident these young people are great ambassadors for Australia’s training system and they will be defending the top 10 ranking our 2011 Skillaroos team earned in London.”