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WorldSkills championships - 4th November 2022

The WorldSkills championships have taken place in Montreux, Switzerland, testing and celebrating vocational skills ranging from 3D digital games art to cooking and electrical installations to the important role of hotel receptionist.

Competitors are required to display a range of skills whilst being carefully watched by a team of judges and an audience.

Tim Oberli, is just 19 and the home candidate from Switzerland in the hotel receptionist competition. His earliest memories are of going on holiday with his parents.

Tim Oberli: "Instead of turning to the kids club or doing anything activity-like, I took a chair, I sat in the lobby and I just observed what is happening in the lobby. I observed people at reception interacting with each other."

Oberli began working in a hotel at the age of 16 and now supervises a reception team at a luxury alpine hotel but is nervous as he tests out his skills against 15 other competitors from around the world.

With actors playing the roles of guests, competitors have to be quick on their feet to react to the different situations they’re presented with. Jane Stokie's the global director at WorldSkills.

Jane Stokie: "We've got actors here, and the actors are playing the guests. In one module that's happening, there's a troublesome guest, and there's somebody booking in. And in another module, there is an ill guest."

Whilst the practical skills are paramount for the competitors, there's also a written exam to test their knowledge. However, for Oberli, it’s all about helping the guests.

Tim Oberli: "It is very important to be flexible, to be creative, to have the ability to improvise, and to understand what the guests' needs are."

On this occasion, Tim Oberli won the silver medal, but he wasn’t disappointed.

Tim Oberli: "It's way more than just this medal. It is about being an ambassador for my profession, it is about showing passion for what I am doing, to represent Switzerland on an international basis, and to make the profession of the hotel reception more attractive."