French National Education offers strong support to One School One Country 

Launched in 2007 for WorldSkills Shizuoka, the One School One Country (OSOC) programme encourages cultural exchanges between Competitors and students from schools of the host city. At WorldSkills Lyon 2024, Competitors from around 60 delegations will meet with approximately 6,000 pupils from over 50 schools in the Lyon region. The French Ministry of National Education as well as local and national education leaders fully support the programme, hoping to create lasting ties between the schools and the delegations.  

One School One Country (OSOC), WorldSkills’ cultural exchange programme, is held in conjunction with the WorldSkills Competition. In the host country, schools are partnered with a WorldSkills member country or region, fostering new cultural connections and promoting mutual learning about the diverse cultures, skills, vocational education, and career opportunities showcased at the Competition. This year’s edition of the programme was launched during Competition Preparation Week (CPW) in Lyon on 31 January 2024, in the presence of students and teachers from the participating schools, education leaders, delegations and Members of the WorldSkills community. Schools had the opportunity to discover their corresponding delegations and connect with them for the first time.  

For Anne Laigle, Advisor to the Chair of the Board of Education (for Auvergne Rhône-Alpes) and academic delegate for European and international relations, whose work involves the promotion of international exposure to schools across the Lyon region, “OSOC is a fantastic opportunity to meet young people from a wide variety of backgrounds, whatever language they speak.” Yann Buisson, French National Education Inspector for Vocational Training is also pleased by local schools’ participation in the programme: “Unlike competitions, which are great moments but very short-lived, the OSOC programme will enable long-term exchanges between students and Champions from different national teams.” 

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 hopes to welcome around 75,000 student visitors, with a specific Visitors experience tailored for them. Education institutions such as the Board of Education of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes academic region, the Métropole de Lyon (including several academies) and authorities in National Education are all mobilized to support OSOC and encourage participation in the programme and in the Competition, working towards logistical and financial support to maximize attendance. WorldSkills Lyon 2024 teams are also collaborating with the DGESCO (part of the French Ministry of National Education), which appointed academic advisors to act as liaisons between WorldSkills and schools. The DGESCO regularly holds meetings and sends communications to educational institutions across France, aiming to engage as many schools as possible. Addressing students and teachers from participating schools, Hélène Duvivier-Dromain, Vice-president of the Metropole de Lyon, Delegate for European and International Cooperation and Tourism, stated: “It will be an opportunity for you to discover other countries and cultures, a real cultural melting pot that will be a very special experience.” 

The WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Organizing Committee, along with this invaluable support from the French government as well as local and national educational institutions and leaders, aims to make this edition of OSOC a memorable one. By highlighting the importance of cultural exchange and international collaboration in vocational education, the Committee hopes to put the spotlight on the significance of the programme within the WorldSkills movement.