The 48th WorldSkills Competition Is Here!

Shanghai has officially entered WorldSkills time.

Tonight's opening ceremony will mark the beginning of a weeklong event where 1,385 competitors from around the world will showcase their skills on one of the largest vocational stages globally.

Their stage is the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) – the same venue that hosts the annual China International Import Expo.

The largest WorldSkills Competition ever will take up eight halls and 213,000 square meters of indoor space. About 70,000 square meters are dedicated to competition areas, while 26,500 square meters are the logistics hub for equipment and materials.

The scale of what is required is staggering. More than 13,000 types of competition infrastructure items will be used, totaling over one million individual pieces – everything from massive industrial machine tools to delicate flower arrangements, from automobile models to individual jewels.

Notably, 63 percent of these items are being provided through sponsorship agreements, a higher proportion than in previous editions. It is a reflection of both the strong backing from industry partners and the organizing committee's commitment to hosting the event in an environmentally conscious and cost-effective way.

The Chinese Delegation

As a host nation, China is fielding competitors in all 64 skills, a testament to the depth and breadth of its vocational training system. The Chinese delegation numbers 220 in total: 71 competitors, 64 experts, and 64 translators and support staff.

The 71 competitors come from 21 provincial-level regions across the country. Fifty-eight are men and 13 are women; 49 are students and 22 are employees. Their average age is just 21, with the youngest at 18 and the oldest at 25. That mix of students and working professionals reflects China's dual commitment to vocational education and industry-based training.

China is sending its eighth delegation to WorldSkills and its third time entering competitors in every event. Since joining WorldSkills International in October 2010, the country has won 93 golds, 41 silvers, 28 bronzes, and 71 Medallions for Excellence in seven competitions.

China has led the gold medal table and team rankings for four years.

Skills That Mirror the Modern World

The 64 skill projects span six sectors: construction and building technology; creative arts and fashion; information and communication technology; manufacturing and engineering; social and personal services; and transportation and logistics.

These six sectors map the full spectrum of modern economic and social life. WorldSkills is not merely a trade competition – it is a mirror held up to the way societies build, move, communicate, care for one another, and create. The skills on display touch virtually every dimension of daily existence, from the homes people live in and the vehicles they drive to the digital systems they rely on and the services that sustain communities.

Industry sets the competition standards. Each skill project is defined through close collaboration with employers, trade bodies, and training institutions, ensuring that what competitors are tested on reflects the most current and advanced requirements of the workplace. In this sense, WorldSkills functions as a live benchmark of where industries are heading – and what the next generation of professionals will need to be able to do.

That forward-looking orientation is especially visible in the growing presence of advanced manufacturing and emerging occupations. This edition introduces seven new skill projects, several of them sitting at the frontier of industrial and technological change. Unmanned Aerial Systems, for instance, reflect the rapid expansion of the low-altitude economy, demanding that competitors master not only manual flight but also programming, fault diagnosis, and autonomous mission planning.

Other, longer-established projects embody the same shift. Additive Manufacturing, Industrial Design Technology, Robotics System Integration, Renewable Energy, and Industry 4.0 represent the tools and systems reshaping production floors and energy grids worldwide. These are not abstract concepts but hands-on disciplines, requiring competitors to demonstrate fluency with both digital tools and physical processes.

New technology is also finding its way into more traditional trades. Li Xiaojie, workshop manager for the Social and Personal Services sector of WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, explained that this year's hairdressing competition will, for the first time, use an AI-powered "magic mirror" to help competitors design and make decisions quickly.

"You may soon see this technology in some hair salons," she said. "It lets you see very intuitively what a new hairstyle will look like once it's done."

It is a telling illustration of how AI is beginning to permeate even the most traditional hands-on trades – not as a replacement for skill, but as a tool that enhances it. In hairdressing, competitors must still rely on their own technical precision and aesthetic judgment; the mirror simply accelerates the design process and gives clients a clearer preview of the result. It is a small but symbolic detail: at a competition defined by human craftsmanship, technology is increasingly present as an enabler rather than an alternative.

Beyond the Competition

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau and WorldSkills International have named Chinese actor and singer Xiao Zhan and content creator Li Ziqi as promotion ambassadors.

Xiao, whose influence extends across Asia and beyond, is lending his platform to help reach audiences who might not otherwise follow vocational competitions. Fittingly, he worked as a graphic designer before turning to singing and performance.

Li's videos about rural life and traditional Chinese crafts have garnered hundreds of millions of views. Given the competition's emphasis on hands-on skill, craftsmanship, and the dignity of making, her presence is fitting. She told viewers in a recent video to "expect the Shanghai WorldSkills, expect every young person who goes all out."

Those who have successfully reserved a spot will be able to watch the competitions up close at the venues.

Its deliberate transformation from a closed competition into a public skills festival sets it apart. Visitors can try skills at "Try-a-Skill" areas next to competition zones. Near the Fashion Technology zone, visitors can sew fabric and make a bouquet during the Floristry competition.

In the Social and Personal Services cluster, live models will take part in skills such as hairdressing and beauty therapy, with post-competition runway shows planned to showcase the competitors' work.

Medals Rooted in Craft

The competition wraps up on September 27 with a closing and awarding ceremony.

The medals themselves have become something of a talking point. Designed by Zhu Xihua, a senior arts and crafts master at Shanghai Mint, they break from WorldSkills tradition with an irregular hexagonal shape inspired by traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery – sunmao.

The front features an interlocking sunmao structure in relief, symbolizing the precision, structural integrity, and craftsmanship at the heart of the competition. The reverse depicts the shikumen (stone-gate) lintel of Shanghai, with the city's modern skyline visible through the open doorway.

As Zhu explained, the design conveys that "Shanghai opens its doors to welcome guests from all over the world" – a nod to the shikumen style itself, an imported architectural form that was later integrated with local cultural elements.

The medals took roughly a year to develop, involving fifteen precision striking processes and dozens of production steps overseen by nearly 30 craftspeople. It is the first non-circular medal in WorldSkills history – a bold choice that WorldSkills International ultimately praised for fusing traditional technique with modern aesthetics.

Conference and Expo

Running alongside it are two other major events: the WorldSkills Conference and the WorldSkills Expo.

Ministers, educators, industry leaders, and young changemakers convene to answer the urgent question: how can the world find, train, and value young skilled professionals?

It's no coincidence that the conference and competition are happening concurrently.

"The pairing of the WorldSkills Conference and WorldSkills Competition is deliberate and deeply effective," WorldSkills International CEO David Hoey said.

"As one event brings together the world's most influential voices to discuss what excellence looks like in our TVET systems, so the other shines a spotlight on skills excellence in practice. These two events in one should be a must-attend for anyone wanting to shape a skills-driven future."

The conference will bring together diverse voices to accelerate skills development innovation, equity, and excellence worldwide. Together, participants will define a skills-driven future and TVET's role after 2030.

One session, the Shanghai Skills Development Forum, turns the lens on the host city itself, examining Shanghai's own vocational ecosystem and drawing out lessons other countries can apply.

A new initiative, Skills CoLab, will also be making its debut here. Designed to foster international cooperation and knowledge sharing in TVET, it works as an interactive marketplace: selected skills initiatives present their projects in focused 30-minute consultations to potential partners, funders, collaborators, and peers eager to learn from their experience.

This year also adds something new to the program: four field trips to major industrial sites, including the SAIC Motor Anting Base and China Eastern Airlines' Technology Research and Development Center. Delegates will get a firsthand look at China's advances in TVET – and plenty of time to connect with educators and industry specialists from around the world.

The WorldSkills Expo will feature exhibitions by WorldSkills International, its members, sponsors, Chinese provinces and cities, vocational schools, and training bases. The expo will showcase skills and how technology is changing work through multimedia displays, AI agents, physical models, and illustrated panels.

Tailored visitor routes will be available for professional audiences and young learners.

For those who want to see where skills policy meets practice, the competition, conference, and the expo offer a rare opportunity to do both – in the same week, in the same city, under one roof.

Official Licensed Merchandise

Official licensed merchandise for the competition is on sale both online and offline.

Created with motifs drawn from the event's mascots, competition skill categories and Shanghai's local character, the product line gives supporters a lively, tangible way to mark the competition and keep lasting mementos of the event.

Top sellers include plush blind-box figurines of the event mascots Neng Neng and Qiao Qiao. The figures can be attached to backpacks as adorable accessories or collected as a full set.

A series of collectible badges also depict Neng Neng and Qiao Qiao stepping into a range of professional roles, offering another window into the rich, diverse universe of skilled trades.

The lineup also features a badge bearing the WorldSkills Competition emblem with a rotating four-leaf clover detail inspired by the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), this year's host venue.

For fans seeking more interactive experiences, an AI-enabled mascot product comes with chat functions and character-themed activities.

Several items in the collection combine competition memorabilia with everyday use. Plush transit cards shaped after Neng Neng and Qiao Qiao work for public transport across more than 330 cities nationwide and also carry Shanghai Pass perks.