14 October 2022

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. was selected as an official partner of the 46th WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition. The event will be held from October 15 (Sat) to October 18 (Tue), 2022, hosted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and supported by the Kyoto prefecture. The Company will support the event by providing optical equipment products, such as optical fiber fusion splicers and optical interconnection materials, to representatives from each country selected for the “Information Network Cabling” skill competition.

The WorldSkills Competition(*1) is an international event in which young skilled workers compete for the world's best skills. Once every two years, representatives who have won preliminary rounds in various countries and regions around the world gather for the purpose of training professional technicians, passing down skills, and international exchange, and they compete with each other to demonstrate their refined skills. It covers a wide range of skill competitions, and fierce competition unfolds. Among them, the “Information Network Cabling” skill competition has seen an increase in the number of participating countries, and international interest is growing.

The competition was scheduled to be held in Shanghai in September 2021 and was postponed to 2022, but due to the global spread of the new coronavirus infection, the decision was made to cancel the event. In response to this, the WorldSkills Competition Committee decided to hold skill competitions in 15 countries, including Japan, from September to November this year, and the “Information Network Cabling” skill competition will be hosted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and supported by the Kyoto prefecture.

The Company has been an official partner of the WorldSkills Competition for four consecutive times since WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 in Germany and received a certificate of appreciation from the WorldSkills Competition Committee for its contributions to the operation, such as the provision of optical equipment products and technical support. Sumitomo Electric products have been widely adopted and highly evaluated around the world. As a result, the Company has been selected as an official partner for the competition as well. The Company will provide optical equipment products to 13 participating countries as products used in competitions in the “Information Network Cabling” skill competition.

By continuing to provide high-quality products and also providing technical support to countries around the world, the Company will contribute to the further spread of optical information cabling technology and the rise in skill levels.

 

Host city	Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Competition venue	Kyoto Kangyokan “Miyako Messe”
Competition period	Saturday, October 15 to Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Website	https://worldskills2022se.com/locations/kyoto-japan/

  ＊1  WorldSkills Competition:
It began in 1950 when 12 representatives from each country competed in a skills contest between vocational youth groups from Spain and Portugal. As the number of participating countries and representatives increased, it was recognized as an international celebration of young skilled workers.

■Products to be used at the competition:

■The Company’s contributions to previous competitions:
2013 42nd WorldSkills Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
2015 43rd WorldSkills Competition (São Paulo, Brazil)
2017 44th WorldSkills Competition (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
2019 45th WorldSkills Competition (Kazan, Russia)
2020 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People’s Republic of China (Guangzhou, China)
2022 46th WorldSkills Competition Special Edition (Kyoto, Japan)



■References:
- Press release on August 8, 2019 　
　“Sumitomo Electric Supports WorldSkills Kazan 2019” 　
　https://sumitomoelectric.com/sites/default/files/2020-12/download_documents/20190808Sumitomo%20Electric%20Supports%20WorldSkills%20Kazan%202019.pdf
- Press release on December 10, 2020
　“Sumitomo Electric Selected as Official Sponsor for the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China”
　https://sumitomoelectric.com/sites/default/files/2020-12/download_documents/20201210Sumitomo%20Electric%20Selected%20as%20Official%20Sponsor%20for%20the%201st%20Vocational%20Skills%
20Competition%20of%20the%20People%27s%20Republic%20of%20China%20.pdf
- Sumitomo Electric Fusion Splicer Website (English):
　https://global-sei.com/sumitomo-electric-splicers/
- LinkedIn (Sumitomo Electric Fusion Splicer):
　https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/sumitomoelectricfusionsplicer/
- Facebook (Sumitomo Electric Fusion Splicer):
　https://www.facebook.com/sumitomoelectricsplicer/