Greetings from Prof. Dr. Schavan-
Federal Minister of Education and Research

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Education and training are the key to prosperity and social cohesion in modern societies and offer lifelong opportunities. Qualified vocational training plays a decisive role here: It not only offers young people a good career start, but also forms a sound foundation for their future professional development.

Germany, in particular, benefits greatly form excellent training which forms the basis for progress, technical development and highest quality. The dual system is the trademark of vocational training in Germany. Training content and methods are largely determined bycompanies and industrial practice. This allows young people to be integrated into the workforce in a way that is almost without parallel in Europe.
The international WorldSkills competition promotes peak performance in vocational training. It offers competitiors an excellent opportunity to measure themselves in fair competition and to transparently gauge their performance.

Many WorldSkills competitors have become role models for friends and peers in their companies and home towns.
We want to enhance and promote this mulitplier effect in Germany.
The German Federal Government expressly welcomes the bid for hosting WorldSkills 2013 in Leipzig. We wish the organizers and the competition venue Leipzig every success in their bid for WorldSkills 2013.

Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan
Federal Minister of Education and Research