Young car painters at the WorldSkills Competition

(Nov. 2019/OM) - After an exciting competition, the WorldSkills Kazan 2019 champions in the category "Car Painting" have been determined. More than 1,300 participants from 63 countries and regions put their skills to the test at the WorldSkills, the most prestigious international event for craftsmanship.

The gold medal in the young car painters competition went to Ting-Yu Yang from Taipei, China, who was the best of 27 young car painters. The silver medal went to Conor McKevitt from Great Britain, and third place went to Maxine Colligan from Australia.

The young automotive painters used paint products and color matching tools exclusively from Glasurit, BASF's premium paint brand. By avoiding waste, reusing materials and selecting the right products - such as the fast-drying Glasurit UV Primer Filler Grey - the main aim was to combine ecological awareness with economic success and take home important impulses for their daily work. In addition, the participants were trained via the online training platform Glasurit Know-how. Videos provided step-by-step instructions on how to use the products and implement efficient processes. Thus, before the competition, the participants learned how to work sustainably throughout the competition with the help of Glasurit products and an efficient way of working.

Since 1950, the WorldSkills Competition has aimed to motivate young people around the world to take up a trade or technical profession. Since 2017, BASF and its Automotive Refinish division have sponsored this initiative to promote young talent. In national and regional preliminary rounds, only the best in their field qualify for the finals of the biennial world championships.

For the second time, the Sustainable Practice Award was announced at WorldSkills to promote and develop a sustainable mindset in various professions. To do this, competitors must complete test projects as efficiently as possible to save materials, water and energy. The Sustainable Practice Award was presented for the first time at WorldSkills in Abu Dhabi 2017. This year, bronze medalist Colligan also impressed the judges with her sustainable approach to car painting. She took second place in the Sustainable Practice Awards after Kam Hung Li from Hong Kong/China (first place) and ahead of Anthony Bourgeade from France (third place).

"For BASF, sustainability and education are the basis for everything we do. When we choose a sustainable solution, we need the knowledge to make that choice. By supporting Glasurit in the automotive coatings category, we have the opportunity to promote sustainable practices and prepare young talents for the workplace of the future ", emphasizes Roar Solberg, Head of Sales, Automotive Refinish Business Unit EMEA at BASF. "BASF and Glasurit want to help inspire more young people to become automotive refinishers, as there is a shortage of skilled workers in garages. The competition is a great opportunity to support the next generation of automotive painters and make the paint industry aware of young, well-trained talent."

The 45th WorldSkills took place in August 2019 in Kazan, Russia. Competitors measured their skills in 56 performance competitions in a wide range of categories, from auto body repair and electronics to hairdressing and bakery. The next WorldSkills will be held in Shanghai/China in 2021.

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