WorldSkills for Carpentry

THE COMPETITION

The Worldskills vocational championships are held every two years. The venue in 2019 is the major city of Kazan in the western part of Russia. From August 22 to 27, 2019, more than 1600 participants from over 60 countries will compete in a total of 56 vocational disciplines. All participants had to prove themselves beforehand in a selected qualification competition and thus represent the best of their country. In order to snatch one of the prestigious medals, the exceptional talents have to deliver top performances under high pressure.

THE GERMAN NATIONAL TEAM

consists of Florian Meigel and his coach Michael Martin, as well as Johannes Bänsch and his coach Florian Langenmair. The participants must not be older than 22.

Florian Meigel (20) and his trainer Michael Martin will compete in the construction carpentry category. Johannes Bänsch (20) and his coach Florian Langenmair make up the national team in the furniture carpentry category. Meigel qualified in 2017 by winning the national carpentry competition, while Bänsch won the same title in 2018.

The participants have already been in the preparation phase for months. Beforehand, they each had to submit three elaborate solid wood works with complex connections. At the competition, they have to make one of these workpieces with an arbitrary deviation of about 30%. In total, the participants have 22 hours of working time, which is divided into several stages.

THE COMPETITION

lasts a total of four days and is judged by a jury on the basis of a points system. A large number of criteria are decisive here. Under massive time pressure, for example, the focus is on efficient planning, creativity and solving unexpected problems. Furthermore, perfection in craftsmanship is a decisive factor - every move has to be spot on!