A team from Expo 2020 Dubai’s Youth Connect is to share the latest plans about Expo 2020 Dubai and explore the jobs of the future with young people from around the globe at the first WorldSkills competition to be held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 runs from 14-19 October, with the competition kicking off at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 15 October. WorldSkills is the global hub for skills excellence and development to promote the benefits of, and need for, skilled professionals.
Young people from 77 countries will gather to compete in 51 skill competitions, such as hairdressing, bricklaying, auto body repair and baking.
Youth Connect will be present at the event from 15-18 October, as well as at the International Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Youth Forum on 14 October, where they will be mentoring a group of about 30 students on the topic of global citizenship.
Youth Connect will host a space during the event where they will invite young people to learn about Expo 2020 Dubai and explore the highly diverse skills and talents that are required to turn the Expo vision into reality. Visitors can also learn more about some of the fascinating jobs of the future.
The Youth Connect space will also provide visitors an opportunity to become an exhibit designer for a day, working with the team behind the Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion.
Twice-daily workshops with Expo 2020 Volunteers team will also help visitors understand how volunteering for the World Expo can help them gain invaluable skills.
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau Director General, will also speak at WorldSkills on 17 October.
Alya Al-Ali, Director of Youth Connect, said: “Empowering youth by enabling opportunities and realising potential is a goal shared by the Expo 2020 team and organisers of WorldSkills, which is a celebration of excellence and an unmissable chance to share knowledge from across the globe.
“At Expo 2020 Dubai, we recognise the power of skills and are running a number of initiatives that aim to promote and encourage skills development and training, such as our apprenticeship programme, volunteering programme and the recently launched Expo Live University Innovation Programme.”
Youth Connect’s presence at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 is just one of many different initiatives that the team is running to ensure young people are a core part of the journey to Expo 2020 and beyond.
Al-Ali added: “The first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region will be an incredible platform where young people will be exposed to new possibilities and explore the opportunities available to them in the future.”
Youth will make up many of the 30,000 volunteers who will be at the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai, representing the face of Expo. At the same time, they will learn valuable work-ready skills and form connections with people from all over the world. If you would like to find out more about volunteering with Expo 2020 Dubai, email volunteers@expo2020.ae or call 04 555 2244.
To find out more about Youth Connect, what Expo 2020 Dubai has to offer young people and to join the Expo journey, email youth@expo2020.ae.
