Ke Shuichang was building a business in Shanghai when a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down in 2011. He turned to electronics repair, developing diagnostic tools that are now used in more than 3,000 Lenovo service centers worldwide. Over the years, he has trained 714 young people with disabilities, with 64 of them finding jobs or starting businesses.

"Skills can change destiny," Ke noted. "I hope young people can find their own strength in one skill, keep working on it, and aim to reach the top of their field."

Ke is one of the 10 "Skills Dream Ambassadors" for the 48th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled to take place in Shanghai next year from September 22 to 27.

The competition, often called the Olympics of skills, will bring more than 1,400 young competitors from over 60 countries and regions.

At a ceremony marking the one-year countdown in Shanghai on Monday, officials unveiled the WorldSkills Shanghai Executive Bureau and launched volunteer recruitment.

Four state-owned companies – ICBC, Bank of Communications, SAIC Motor, and Boss Zhipin – were announced as strategic sponsors.

The competition will take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in suburban Qingpu District, covering 360,000 square meters.

It will feature 64 competition categories, including new areas such as rail vehicle technology and smart security systems.

All events will be open to the public, and interactive areas will allow visitors to try different skills firsthand.

Michael Fung, a board member of WorldSkills International, said Shanghai's preparations are "very thorough, even better than expected".

He added that hosting the event in Asia is significant, since it has been many years since the region last hosted the competition.

For Ke, the competition in Shanghai is both symbolic and practical. When the car accident happened, he had opened seven computer repair shops in Shanghai.

His business nearly collapsed, but with his wife's support, he shifted focus from laptops to mobile phones and reopened his company.

Two years later, they founded the Jinchang Public Service Center to train people with disabilities. More than 50 have since started businesses under his guidance, and their smartphone courses for seniors and disabled people have reached over 58,000 participants.

"I feel proud that so many top professionals from around the world will come to Shanghai," Ke said. "It will give Chinese participants a chance to learn from international competitors, and it will help our industries improve."

Other ambassadors share similar experiences. Ning Xianhai, a welder from southwest China's Sichuan Province, failed twice in national selection before winning gold at the 2019 WorldSkills.

"At first I chose welding just because it paid well," he explained. "But standing on the world stage showed me that skills can change a life."

Zhu Junfeng, 23, who won gold in car body repair at the 2022 competition in Lyon, France, has since settled in Shanghai.

"Skills cannot be mastered overnight. They come only with time and effort," he said.

Years of practice left his hands covered with scars, his skin aged beyond his years, and one finger permanently deformed.

He said precision comes only through repetition. "The rule allows two millimeters of error. I demanded less than one millimeter of myself. To get to 0.5 millimeters, it was just countless practices."

Zhu trained for more than 400 days before the competition, wearing out 300 grinding heads and nearly 1,000 sanding discs.

"Challenges came one after another, but in my mind there was only one thought – to give my all," he said. His inspiration came from his schoolmate Yang Shanwei, who won the same event at the 2017 WorldSkills.

"It was his story that pushed me to follow this road," Zhu pointed out. "At 20, when I stood on the podium with the national flag on my shoulders, I felt deeply proud. Skills had changed my life."

Since then, Zhu has joined SAIC Volkswagen in Shanghai. He has advanced from trainee to master technician, set up a workshop, and joined China's WorldSkills coaching team.

Organizers expect the event to attract global attention, with thousands of visitors and delegations from member countries. Volunteers will support logistics, airport arrivals, and translation. A structured training program is being developed to prepare them for the event.

Ke said he hopes to use his role as ambassador to encourage young people.

"We have a responsibility to pass on skills and guide the next generation. This competition will show that skills matter, and that they can shape the future."