Oct. 5, 2017—To support up-and-coming automotive refinish spray painters and young talent, BASF's Coatings division is a global sponsor of the WorldSkills International association until at least 2019.
“As a sponsor of the WorldSkills competition, BASF Automotive Refinish wants to encourage young talent to consider refinish painting as a profession,” said Marvin Gilfillan, BASF Vice President, Business Management, Automotive Refinish. “We’re focusing on promoting the next generation of automotive refinishers.”
The WorldSkills competition will take place in the Middle East for the first time from October 14-19, 2017. Approximately 1,200 young people will demonstrate their skills in 51 individual competitions in Abu Dhabi.
During the competition, participants will exclusively use products from the comprehensive portfolio of BASF’s refinish brands Glasurit and R-M, depending on the country, as well as the RODIM brand range of paint-related products.
"Our commitment emphasizes the significance and viability of a career as an automotive refinisher,” said Gillfillan.
The competition, which also includes the international R-M Best Painter Contest, illustrates the diverse nature of the occupation, which calls for both craftsmanship as well as sustainable thinking and efficiency.
The support by BASF's Coatings division provides WorldSkills with a strong global partner that will contribute its in-depth automotive refinishing expertise to the competitions. The sponsorship enhances the image of numerous occupations worldwide and the young competitors, from all over the world, get the chance to demonstrate their technical abilities and master new challenges.
To qualify for the final at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, in which 76 national WorldSkills associations will be represented, the candidates must win the national competition of their respective country. About 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the competition, including 10,000 international visitors, making the WorldSkills competition the biggest event ever to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. At the 2017 WorldSkills final, the automotive refinish contenders will compete using Glasurit premium brand products, exclusively.
The WorldSkills competition is a world championship of non-academic occupations. Since 1950, trainees and young skilled workers from all over the world compete in numerous categories and measure their skills in the individual occupations. The competition aims to motivate young people worldwide to take up a trade or technical occupation. Participants qualify for the biennial world championship in national and regional preliminary competitions.
