At the Palais des Sports in Marseille, excitement was at its peak on Saturday October 18. The 48th edition of the national WorldSkills competition brought together 800 young professionals competing in 67 trades. Printing and graphic design, emblematic disciplines of the graphic arts, were well represented.
In printing, the gold medal went to Noémie Regardin (representing Pays de la Loire), followed by Killian Fehringer (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and Tom Krzciuk-Paillot (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Graphic design saw Enzo Moreau (Bretagne) win, ahead of Agathe Jouvenel (Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) and Gaël Granier-Caroul (Occitanie).
The return of a weakened profession to the national stage
Visit silver medal for Killian Fehringer also marks a remarkable comeback. In 2023, this apprentice printer won gold in the national competition. However, he was unable to defend France's colors on the international stage: the printing discipline was excluded from the Lyon 2024 global competition the event will be held at the end of the year, due to the lack of a sufficient number of participating countries.
Intergraf and the Union nationale des industries de l'impression et de la communication (Uniic) had condemned the decision "disqualifying for the industry" and "a real cold shower for young people, trade experts and the entire profession".
A message of encouragement for the next generation
The 2025 edition will therefore enable the graphics industry to regain visibility. Almost 40,000 visitors, including 25,000 schoolchildren, flocked to the Parc Chanot. The event also enabled some forty disabled candidates to take part in the tests via the Parcours + scheme.
The medallists in each discipline will shortly be joining the preparation courses to make up the Équipe de France des métiers, with an eye on the next international events, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 from September 22 to 27.
At a time when recruitment in technical professions is under pressure, these competitions are a great way of promoting these professions.
