On Thursday, 22 October, Newman Senior Technical College hosted a full day of competitions in 11 of the 13 categories in the WorldSkills Australia Regional Competitions (WSARC) VET in School (VETiS) Zone 3.
Competitors from Newman College and the surrounding district schools, including St Columba Anglican School, Hunter Trade College, Hastings Secondary College, Wauchope High School and Mid-Coast Christian School, participated in the following VET in Schools competitions:
- WorldSkills Automotive
- ZorldSkills Brick & Blocklaying
- WorldSkills Business Services
- WorldSkills Commercial Cookery
- WorldSkills Electrotechnology (hosted by Hunter Trade College)
- WorldSkills Food & Beverage
- WorldSkills Furniture Making (Mon 26/10 @ Newman)
- WorldSkills Healthcare Assistant
- WorldSkills Metal & Engineering
- WorldSkills Plumbing
- WorldSkills Retail (hosted by Whitebridge High School)
- WorldSkills Tourism
- WorldSkills Wall & Floor Tiling
WSARC is based on skill-specific competition projects designed by WSA volunteers, who are typically considered experts in their fields. These projects are validated against Australia’s National Training Packages and endorsed by the relevant industry with the aim of unearthing young Australians currently undertaking nationally accredited vocational education courses who demonstrate excellence in their chosen skill area.
Newman College hosted the Mid North Coast Regional (Zone 3) event, featuring competition projects lasting between 4 and 6 hours. “VET in Schools WorldSkills Competitions empower students to build confidence, develop skills, and grow personally and professionally. Supported by dedicated educators, students benefit from high-quality training and opportunities to learn and excel. It is a huge undertaking by all but well worth the effort.” – Karen Warneken, Leader of Learning, VET Curriculum, Newman College.
Students can benchmark their skills against other students in their region using a marking scale aligned with Australia’s National Training Packages and industry expectations.
The winner of the WSARC is awarded a gold medal, with second and third place receiving silver and bronze medals, respectively. All other participants are awarded a certificate of participation to demonstrate that they have chosen to challenge themselves by going outside their comfort zone and competing against their peers.
VET in Schools (VETiS) competitions follow the same two-year cycle as WorldSkills Australia’s Regional Competitions, with more than 500 Regional Competitions held across 34 regions in Australia.
The VETiS Regional Competitions are open to students enrolled in their Preliminary year of a VET course, either at secondary schools or at TAFE, as EVET students.
VETiS medallists from State and Regional Competitions may be eligible to compete against their peers from around the country in the 12 VETiS Categories offered at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships in Adelaide in June 2027 – a fantastic opportunity to showcase their skills.
Zone 3 results for Gold, Silver and Bronze will be announced on 2 November 2026. Once all NSW Regional Zone VETiS results are in, WorldSkills will announce the team that will represent NSW at WorldSkills Adelaide next year. Stay tuned for more.