TAFE teacher joins ‘Skillaroos’ to represent Australia

Wednesday 31st January 2007
Port Macquarie-based TAFE Hairdressing teacher Donna DeMaria has been selected as an expert to support and train Australian competitors in the 38th International WorldSkills competition in Japan in November this year.

Labelled ‘the Skillaroos’, Team Australia was recently announced by WorldSkills Australia at a special function in Sydney, following the National WorldSkills competition in Melbourne in 2006.

Ms DeMaria says that her role as Expert is to organise a training plan and team of Hairdressers to train the Western Australian hairdressing competitor Candice Faranda in the lead-up to the international competition.

‘I have established a team which includes some of the best hairdressers across Australia,’ says Ms DeMaria. ‘We have a team in Sydney and Perth who work together to train and refine Candice’s hairdressing skills’.

Ms DeMaria says that the hairdressing competition standard is benchmarked against Organisation Mondiale Coiffure international competitions.

‘Both Candice and I have been invited to be a competitor and judge in competitions in UK leading up to the WorldSkills International competition,’ says Ms DeMaria. “It’ll be a great opportunity for us to experience an international European competition.’

Ms DeMaria says that hairdressing in Australia is facing a skill shortage, and that she hopes that competitions like this can entice young people to trades in vocational areas.

‘Last year, changes to legislation now enables students under 21 who completed our “fast-track” hairdressing program at TAFE NSW-North Coast Institute to work as a hairdresser in the industry and not have to enter an apprenticeship,’ says Ms DeMaria.

WorldSkills represents excellence in vocational skills training, and the international competition brings together hundreds of competitors, experts and trainers from 46 countries to compete publicly against the pinnacle of international standards.

WorldSkills Australia, ranked 9th in the world will be represented in 25 individual and team trade categories. The ‘Skillaroos’ will be competing before several hundred thousand people over 4 intense days.