Bright Jeandré van der Walt (22) is a young electrical apprentice artisan from Vereeniging who works for Nampak Glass in Alberton. He is brushing up on his skills in preparation for the World Skills Competition to be held in Brazil from August 11 to August 16.
He is guided by his mentor, Nick du Plessis at P&T Technology in Germiston. Jeandré went to Unitaspark Primary and then finished high school at HTS Vereeniging. Jeandré won the ‘Electrical Installations’ category at the SA World Skills Competition that was held in January, beating eight other contestants in this category at the Cape Town International Convention Conference Centre.
The South African finalists, representing 19 skills areas, will travel to Brazil on August 7 to compete against contestants from 72 member countries in 47 skills in traditional trades such as electrical, welding and plumbing as well as multi-skilled technology careers that include IT software solutions and graphic design. World Skills SA represents an opportunity to emphasise the key role that artisans play in the economy.
The benefits for competition entrants are considerable and qualifying for the international competition affords each participant a highly experienced mentor in his or her field. Participating in the international competition is equivalent to four or five years of professional training with all the benefits of experience, character building and many networking opportunities.
