The World Skills Competition is a bi-annual event where young skilled people compete in various trades and test themselves against international standards. This year's competition is in Helsinki, Finland at the Helsinki Fair Centre.

Contestants participate in 34 official competition skills that include technology, industry, and services. About 800 competitors from nearly 40 countries participate in the competition.

The U.S. representative wins a four year, $40,000 scholarship sponsored by Miller Electric. For more information on the U.S. Open Weld Trials, visit www.skillsusa.org. World Skills Competition information is available at www.worldskills.org.

The American Welding Society is the largest organization in the world dedicated to advancing the science, technology, and application of welding and allied processes, including joining, brazing, soldering, cutting, and thermal spraying. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, USA, AWS serves almost 50,000 members throughout the world. In 2005, the AWS Welding Show - the premier trade show for the welding industry - will take place April 26 through April 28 in Dallas, Texas, USA. For more information on AWS programs and publications, visit the Society's Web site, www.aws.org