From KUHN apprentice to world champion: Gold for Sandro Amrhein in Shanghai

Around 1,400 young skilled professionals from nearly 70 countries and regions came together in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September for WorldSkills, the world championships for vocational skills. A total of 64 skills were contested over four days of competition. Switzerland was represented by 42 competitors in 38 skills.

For Sandro, an intensive period of preparation ended with the greatest possible success:

Six modules, four days of competition

Across six modules, Sandro had to demonstrate his abilities in a range of technical areas. These included hydraulics, electronics, engines and mechanical drive systems – combined with precise work and effective time management under competition pressure.

The competition got off to a demanding start: on the first day, Sandro faced a challenging hydraulics module on an 8-tonne LiuGong excavator. Martin Schär described the task as particularly tricky and mentally demanding.

On the second day, Sandro repaired the air-conditioning system on a Volvo excavator and carried out a condition check on the machine. He then worked on a LiuGong wheel loader, where steering and brakes as well as various adjustments were on the programme.

The following competition days featured further diagnostic and adjustment work as well as mechanical drive systems. Sandro worked on a Cat mini excavator, among other machines, as well as on the transmission of a wheel loader, where he took measurements, located faults and made the necessary adjustments.

Engines took centre stage on the final day of competition. On one engine, Sandro had to identify faults and take measurements, while another had to be assembled and subsequently measured.

A journey that began at KUHN

Sandro’s journey to Shanghai began long before WorldSkills. He completed his apprenticeship as a construction machinery mechanic at KUHN Schweiz AG. Today, he works for the company as a service technician.

Under the title “Road to Shanghai”, KUHN Switzerland accompanied Sandro on his journey to WorldSkills and reported on individual stages of his preparation leading up to the competition in Shanghai.

Martin Schär has been a constant presence throughout this journey. He was Sandro’s vocational trainer during his apprenticeship and later accompanied him on the road to Shanghai as a trainer and WorldSkills expert.

Preparation for the world championships was intensive. Together with Martin, Sandro worked through the various competition modules at KUHN’s branch in Lommis and trained specifically in diagnostic, inspection and repair tasks. During the final training session, for example, he once again practised a pre-operation inspection on a Komatsu wheel loader – from the general walk-around and fluid-level checks to troubleshooting and fault rectification. It once again became clear just how important the ability to work quickly under considerable time pressure would be alongside technical expertise.

But Sandro’s preparation was not limited to practical training. He studied the available machine documentation in advance so that he would lose as little time as possible searching for information during the competition. He also prepared for difficult situations during a module: with a mental coach, he worked on how to regain focus after making a mistake or experiencing a mental block and continue working effectively.

International experience was another part of the preparation. In May, Sandro gained additional competition experience at Sweden’s Yrkes-SM vocational championships in Stockholm.

Martin Schär has witnessed his development at close quarters:

Strong performance by Switzerland

The SwissSkills National Team also enjoyed a successful WorldSkills. Switzerland’s 42 young skilled professionals won a total of twelve medals – four gold, two silver and six bronze. A further 23 competitors received a Medal of Excellence. Switzerland therefore finished third in the nations ranking and was the most successful European nation.