The next World Skills Competition — due to be held in Kazan (Russia) in August — will for the first time feature a competition in the discipline of robot programming; and while this is a pilot, Fanuc and World Skills hope to establish it as a regular feature.

Kazan is expected to attract participants from around 60 countries, as well as 250,000 spectators.

Shinichi Tanzawa, CEO of Fanuc Europe (www.fanuc.eu), said: “We are very excited to be a World Skills Global Partner and to give young people an opportunity to learn more about robot programming.

"We hope that participants in the World Skills Competition will be able to use their knowledge to improve their career opportunities.”

Alexander Amiri, director of sponsorship and partnership at World Skills, said: “Fanuc demonstrates that the future of professional skills is shaped by innovation and automation.

“The company’s involvement as a World Skills Global Partner helps young people around the world to develop the skills and pioneering spirit that are needed to respond to changes in production.”