SloveniaSkills 2024 competition for young professionals in vocational skills concludes

From 18 to 21 September 2024, Slovenia's largest vocational skills competition - SloveniaSkills 2024 - took place at the International Fair of Crafts and Entrepreneurship (MOS) in Celje. The event brought together 77 competitors to compete in 13 different sectors: hairdressing, painting, cookery, catering, floristry, flower arranging, stonemasonry, mechatronics, ICT, web development, furniture and joinery, and CNC milling. The award ceremony for the best in these sectors took place on Sunday 22 September 2024 at the Celje Congress Centre.

The winners of SlovenianSkills 2024 qualify for the European EuroSkills competition, which takes place alternately every other year. The next EuroSkills competition will take place from 9-13 September 2025 in Herning, Denmark.

This year, for the first time, the competition also included a demonstration of the Robotic Systems Integration sector, which will be included as an official competition discipline in SloveniaSkills 2026.

In the florist sector, the winner was Leja Brenkuš Porenta (Biotehniški centre Naklo), second place went to Lara Gjergjek (School of Horticulture and Visual Arts Celje) and third place went to Janja Zupančič (Florist Gardenia - Marjul d.o.o.).

Parallel to the competition, the "Street of Crafts", organised by the Chamber of Crafts and Small Business of Slovenia, took place at MOS in Hall L1. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about different craft professions, while an exhibition of professions was also on display, with posters of selected professions highlighted.

The purpose of organising such competitions is to honour young craftsmen and craftswomen and promote their outstanding skills. They are also an inspiration for young people who are just starting out on their career paths, giving them an insight into real career challenges, which makes it easier for them to decide on their career choice.

SloveniaSkills is a national competition organised every two years by the Slovenian Centre for Vocational Education within the framework of WorldSkills Slovenia. It is open to young people up to the age of 24, and schools or companies can enter a limited number of competitors in each sector. The range of industries is expanding every year - in 2024, new industries have been added - web development and CNC milling.

Edina Babnik
Secretary of the Florists and Gardeners Section
Chamber of Crafts and Small Business of Slovenia