A Taiwan national team that will take part in the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Canada, next month departed Saturday with the hope of winning medals in 45 skills categories that range from cabinetmaking to web design. Wang Ju-hsuan, minister of the Council of Labor Affairs, met in Taipei with the 42 members of the under-23 national team and gave them some encouragement before their departure. She expressed the hope that the team will bring home gold medals, especially as Taiwan missed out on golds in the last competition in Shizuoka, Japan. The Taiwan team took five silvers, three bronzes and 19 awards of excellence in the 2007 competition. The WorldSkills Competition has been held every two years since it was launched in 1950 as a global 'skills olympics.' It is a world-class competition for youth between 17 and 22 years to demonstrate their excellence in skilled professions. Some 51 countries will compete in Calgary this year in six broad sub-categories of skills, trades and technologies. The six areas are social and personal services, creative arts and fashion, information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering technology, construction and building technology, and transportation and logistics. The competition will be held at Stampede Park, Calgary Sept.1-7. 