A look back at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 and a look ahead to the future!
From September 10 through 15, 25 vocational education champions from the Netherlands competed against more than 1,400 participants at WorldSkills in Lyon. The Mobile Equipment Technician category was also proudly represented by the Netherlands, with Andries Hoeksma, who traveled to Lyon alongside competition expert Sander van Wonderen. Andries competed against participants from no fewer than 15 countries. Thanks to his craftsmanship and perseverance, he delivered an outstanding performance.
Our special thanks go to Firda and W&H Smedes, Andries’ employer, for their support and commitment.
Meet our hero: Andries Hoeksma
Andries grew up with the trade in his blood, as he was raised on a contracting farm. Whenever a piece of equipment broke down, they would fix it themselves. Together with his twin brother, who is also in the trade, Andries had an excellent learning environment at home. He has completed the Level 3 Mobile Equipment Technician program and is now pursuing Level 4.
We asked Andries a few questions about his participation in WorldSkills:
- What was it like for you to participate in such a major event?
“I didn’t expect it to be this big. It was pretty overwhelming. You don’t see much of what’s going on around you; you’re really just focused on your own competitions. For my own competition, when we arrived, we checked out how the workshop was set up and where to find the tools. There are experts there to help you. And then it’s just a matter of doing your competition. That’s what you’re focused on.”
- How did you prepare?
“We had extra training days at school. We even went to Denmark to prepare. We also took English classes to learn the technical terms. That helped a lot. I went there well prepared.”
- What did you learn from your participation?
“Dealing with stress—that was definitely an issue. There are a lot of people around you, watching everything you do. That was something I was preoccupied with, and it added extra stress. It also wasn’t something I had prepared for. You go through a lot in a workshop, but it’s not often that people are watching your every move.”
- Do you have any tips for others who are considering the Mobile Equipment Technician program?
“If you want to work with your hands, you should choose this profession. You create something for a customer, which is very rewarding. You make someone else happy. The work is very varied, and it’s always fun with your colleagues.”
“In this field, you need a lot of knowledge to be able to do anything. So, in addition to experience, you have to build up your knowledge—without knowledge, you can’t really accomplish anything. You also have to really want it, of course, otherwise the training will be difficult.”
A look ahead to the 2025 national competitions
We are already hard at work preparing for the 2025 national Skills competitions. On February 13 and 14, the competitions for the Mobile Equipment Technician category will be held at Kamps de Wild.