Province invests $24M in Calgary WorldSkills event

The province is pitching in $24 million to help Calgary play host to an international trade and technology competition, Premier Ed Stelmach announced Monday.

Organizers say more than 900 competitors from 49 countries will take part in the WorldSkills competition in September 2009.

WorldSkills, held every two years, tests competitors aged 17 to 22 in more than 40 categories, including welding, plumbing, graphic design and landscape gardening.

The provincial money will be used to help cover planning and hosting costs for the competition as well as to purchase necessary equipment for the event.

After the competition, the equipment will be distributed to "many Alberta learning facilities, leaving a legacy for Alberta's youth," according to a press release.

"We're proud to host an event of this calibre in Alberta," Stelmach said in the release. "It provides an international stage for profiling Alberta's best — our skilled and talented citizens, high quality education system, our top-notch trades and technology industry."

The event will be held Sept. 1-6, 2009, at Stampede Park.