Renault Trucks and WorldSkills: showcasing the truck industry's technical professions

Promoting training, apprenticeships and technical professions sounds like a slogan! In fact, it's the ambition shared by Renault Trucks and WorldSkills, partners since 2018. One of the highlights of the 47th edition of the WorldSkills Competition is the introduction of the ‘Industrial Vehicle Technology’ category. Among the eight competitors taking part, Romain Le Roux will be representing the Renault Trucks network of approved repair workshops. His declared goal is to win the gold medal, while inspiring future vocations. Renault Trucks is delighted that this discipline, which it is continually promoting among youngsters both in schools and in its workshops, is being recognised at the highest level.

Every year since 2018, Renault Trucks has renewed its commitment to the organising body of the leading WorldSkills Competition. Until now a partner of WorldSkills France, the manufacturer has decided to step up its involvement by signing up to an international partnership for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, the 47th edition of the WorldSkills Competition. 

In addition to a financial commitment from the company, the new partnership covers the provision of resources, equipment and the trucks needed for the competition. Around a dozen Renault Trucks employees are involved in designing the international events and online training for the competitors. In spring, in order to ensure fairness between the participants, all finalists in the discipline were given the opportunity to practice their skills at the Renault Trucks international training centre. 

This level of commitment is all the more important for Renault Trucks as, this year, the spotlight will be on the ‘Industrial Vehicle Technology’ profession, which will be presented for the first time at this level of the competition. This is particularly satisfying for the manufacturer as it continually strives to raise the profile of the HGV sector, which struggles to attract young people. Around thirty employees will be on the stand at the event, answering questions from the public.

Several of the winners work in the French workshops of Renault Trucks. Romain Le Roux, a 2024 world competitor, is currently an accomplished mechanic at one of the manufacturer's approved dealers in central France (Faurie Trucks, Moulins), after completing his apprenticeship there. The training is comparable in every way to that of a top-level athlete. In the run-up to the event, Romain carried out a number of physical and mental training sessions with the French skills team. For the technical training, he spent 5 weeks in centres of excellence, including at Renault Trucks. 

Both Lucas Ianni, European champion in 2023, and Thomas Sauner, French champion in 2019, who was prevented by the pandemic from competing for a European title, recognise that WorldSkills has been a tremendous career accelerator. In addition the competition has boosted their profile and personal development, increased their technical expertise and ability to organise their work, and introduced them to an extensive network of professionals.
 

The 47th WorldSkills Competition will see 1,400 competitors from over 70 countries gather at Eurexpo Lyon from 10 to 15 September 2024, with eight candidates will be competing in the ‘Industrial Vehicle Technology’ trade.