Timothy Girouard, of Southampton, Massachusetts, will represent the United States in the plumbing competition at the biennial WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia.

Girouard will compete as a member of the WorldSkills USA team, selected and trained by SkillsUSA. The 45th international event will be held Aug. 22-27.

As a freshman at Smith Vocational Agricultural High School, Girouard was introduced to 12 different hands-on trades. It didn’t take long for him to discover he was skilled in plumbing and heating.

“My teachers inspired me to continue to improve my skills and encouraged me to participate in the SkillsUSA competition,” he said. “It means the world to me that I was chosen. I’m excited to travel, meet other competitors, and be challenged by the tasks the competition presents.”

As an apprentice, Girouard plans to pursue his training both on and off the job. Eventually, he hopes to become a journeyman plumber and start his own business.

Every two years, WorldSkills hosts the world championships of skills, which attracts more than 1,600 competitors from more than 76 countries and regions around the world to compete in more than 50 different trade skills. Considered the best in the world in each trade skill, contestants compete before the public for four days in contests that are run and judged by industry using demanding international standards. They represent the best students from each nation and many are highly trained by their sponsoring country. To see a list of competitions, go to: https://worldskills2019.com/en/event/skills/

There are 22 members on the WorldSkills USA team, with an average age of 19. Other occupational areas in which the United States plans to compete include Aircraft Maintenance, Autobody Repair, Automobile Technology, Bakery, Bricklaying, Cabinetmaking, Car Painting, CNC Milling, Cooking, Cyber Security, Graphic Design, Hairdressing, Heavy Vehicle Maintenance, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Print Media, Restaurant Service, Web Technologies and Welding.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators, public policymakers, employers, teachers, trainers, technical experts and government officials from around the world will attend this competition. The event will be held at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Centre. For more information about the competition, go to: https://worldskills2019.com/en

For more information about Timothy Girouard and the WorldSkills USA team, go to: www.worldskillsusa.org