No age-cap for apprentices and trainees of regional competitions

March 2021

WorldSkills New Zealand is about celebrating excellence not age. So, we are excited to announce, for those in formal training, that the age-cap limiting entry to New Zealand competitions is GONE!

New Zealand competitions are grassroots events to showcase the many talented trainees and apprentices who train across our sectors. Removing age-related criteria is a great step in seeing competitions align with the reality of industry training in New Zealand.

What this means is that regional events run by WorldSkills New Zealand are (subject to any specific skill requirements) open to anyone who is in formal training in the relevant skill.  Note, for those recently completed formal training (2020 or later) the age cap still applies.

For the National Finals, as per previous years’, the WorldSkills New Zealand events will be run for age-eligible competitors who have been identified during the regionals. In some circumstances older regional winners may be invited to attend the national competitions.