Record gold medal haul for Swiss professionals

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Beautician Valeria Tschann from Thurgau appreciates the creativity in her work and intensive customer contact. (Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills) SwissSkills/Michael Zanghellini

Kevin Hofer, from Aargau, starts from scratch creating various masonry works at WorldSkills. In future, he wants to train to become a foreman. (Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills) Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Stonemason Sonja Monn, from St. Gallen, is happy representing women in a male dominated profession. (Naim Chidiac/SwissSkills) Naim Chidiac/SwissSkills

Crystal clear? Tatjana Caviezel, a service specialist from St Gallen, also entered the competition. One of the disciplines in this field includes a fine sense of smell to distinguish spirits. Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Aargauer Janine Bigler demonstrates her skills on a digital printing press. What she enjoys about her job as a printing technologist is that her achievements are visible at the end of the day. (Naim Chidiac/SwissSkills) SwissSkills/Naim Chidiac

"Every day is a surprise,"says Evelyne Tanner from Thurgau. She cooked a multi-course menu at the World Professional Championships which included a few twists. (Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills) Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Fabio Holenstein, from St Gallen, spent two days creating a three-dimensional object with a solid wood frame. As a child, he helped in his father's carpentry workshop, so his career choice was clear from an early age. (Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills) Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Fabienne Niederhauser, from canton Bern, demonstrates her plastering skills. (Naim Chidiac/SwissSkills) Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Landscape gardeners Nils Bucher, from Lucerne, (left) and Benjamin Räber (Obwalden) built a 7x7-metre show garden: with natural stone work, water features and plants as specified.(Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills) Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

Polymechanic Marco Michel likes working with computer-controlled machine tools. At WorldSkills, he produced a system which runs automatically with cylinders and motors. Michael Zanghellini/SwissSkills

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Switzerland picked up 20 medals, including a record 11 golds, at the World Professional Championships. Some 38 Swiss professionals demonstrated their skills in Abu Dhabi between 15 and 18 October.

The 11 gold medals beat Switzerland’s previous best haul of 10 set in 2003.  Only China did better than the Swiss this year with 15 gold medals.

The head of the Swiss delegation, Christine Davatz, said she is “incredibly proud” of the whole team. All the team members have completed apprenticeships and prepared for the tournament in their spare time.

Some 1,300 craftsmen and women took part in the 44th WorldSkillsExternal link championships in Abu Dhabi, accommodated by a workspace big enough to fit 18 football pitches. 

From Switzerland, 38 young professionals travelled to the world championships for non-academic professions to prove their skills in the field of information technology, design and the other sectors.

In 1953, the first professional world championships were held in Madrid. Professionals from Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Portugal and Morocco took part. 

WorldSkills was founded after the Second World War to promote international understanding. Some 59 countries were represented at this year’s championship.