The 46th WorldSkills Competition set to take place in Shanghai is being introduced to visitors at the ongoing 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE).
About 3,000 exhibitors from 127 countries and regions are displaying their new products and technologies at the expo, seeking business opportunities in the Chinese market.
At the booth of Shanghai WorldSkills 2022 in the north exhibition hall of the National Conference and Convention Center where the expo is taking place, the slogan of the competition – "Master Skills, Change the World" – and Neng Neng and Qiao Qiao, mascots for the event designed based on the shape of Shanghai's landmark building the Oriental Pearl TV Tower with mortise and tenon joint locks in their hands, are all on display.
The booth is also inspired by the mortise and tenon joint, a traditional Chinese craft for making structures such as buildings and furniture.
With the theme "Skills Make A Better World," the exhibition area includes five sections to introduce the history of the WorldSkills Competition, and what to expect at the 46th edition that will take place on the Chinese mainland for the first time on October 12-17, 2022.
There is an introduction to WorldSkills International, an organization set up in 1950 to raise the profile of skills around the world. With over 80 members, it is dedicated to increasing skills awareness among young people, develop international skills standards, share research results, exchange best practices and promote the value of skills for economic growth and personal success.
The WorldSkills Competition, held every two years, is regarded as the largest and most influential vocational skills competition in the world.
During the WorldSkills Competition, the WorldSkills Conference and the WorldSkills Expo will also be held.
More than 350 enterprises have offered to sponsor the 46th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, with combined sponsorship amounting to 450 million yuan (US$70 million).
Another area shows the WorldSkills Museum, a joint initiative of WorldSkills International, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Shanghai government, that is being developed on the bank of Huangpu River, known as the "mother river of Shanghai." It will officially open to the public during the WorldSkills Competition next year.
As the world's first museum to show vocational skills, it will become a global center for the exhibition of skills, a world platform for cooperation and exchange of skills development, an international skills education and training center and an official documentation center.
Yong'an Warehouse, which houses the museum, is a century-old historical structure in Yangpu District, a cradle of China's modern industry.
Development of vocational skills in Shanghai and the city's achievements in helping poor areas out of poverty are also shown at the booth.
On the first day of the exhibition, Pan Shenhan, gold medal winner for floristry at the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi in 2017, appeared at the booth.
He presented brooches made with more than 10 kinds of flowers, such as butterfly orchids, lilies and hyacinths, and various weaving techniques to show the exquisiteness and charm of floristry. These included one brooch in the shape of a water drop for women and another rhombus-shaped for men.
Brooches are for formal occasions and the artworks convey a message from Shanghai to welcome guests and competitors to come to the city next year.
Pan said this is the first time he's taken part in the CIIE, and the designs in the expo have given him new inspirations.

Apprenticeships are gaining recognition for skills development but in some countries they still face stigmas and other challenges, the WorldSkills Conference 2021 has been told.
Alliances or partnerships are needed to play a key role in the successful delivery of apprenticeships, including the collective and proactive efforts of stakeholders such as employers, training providers, unions and governments, speakers said.
Apprenticeships had for too long been ignored in favor of university education, said Megan Yeates, winner for freight forwarding at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.
"The most you are ever going to learn is going to be in the real world," the Irish woman said. "I remember the shocking reality I got coming from school and learning everything it said in the textbooks, and then going out to work and realizing it never goes by the book."
"In the United Kingdom, apprenticeships have long been recognized as the best way to learn," said Paul Warner of the British Association of Employment and Learning Providers.
"If you were to ask yourself, where have I learned the most about how to do my job, all of us must be honest to say it wasn't sitting in a classroom learning about theory. It was about doing."
Norbert Schoebel, team leader of the European Commission's Skills for the Young, VET, Apprenticeships and Adult Learning Unit, said the EU has a huge variety of networks, coalitions, or alliances at all levels.
He said that it established the European Alliance for Apprenticeship in 2013 when youth unemployment in some countries in southern parts of Europe was 40 to 50 percent.
"Since we knew that an apprenticeship is a very successful tool in the transition from school to work, we created this alliance at that time," he said. "We have many objectives in supply, quality, images and mobility."
He said the alliance is still growing and its members come from 36 countries and 360 individual organizations.
Last year, the EU renewed the alliance under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to get members to work more closely with each other.
"We once a year bring all these local, regional, and national partnerships together to see and to learn from each other," he said.
"The partnership approach is a key principle, involving all key partners in a fair and executive partnership with inclusive, structured and transparent dialogue."
But things are different in poorer countries.
Ashwani Aggarwal, team leader of the International Labor Organization's Work Group, shared a story about the president of a country asking for advice on reforming its skills education system.
It was a poor country that invested huge amounts of money from multi-billion dollar Development Bank loans to improve its school system, but the skills problem remained unsolved, said Aggarwal, adding that economic growth was hampered and so was job creation.
He said the problem was that the country thought the first thing was to improve its facilities and infrastructure. But the world was changing so fast that the equipment they invested in quickly became out-of-date, some times even before completion of the project.
"The bigger problem is that similar situations exist in many countries," he said.
Experts and policymakers in the country later realized a good option was apprenticeships, a centuries-old tradition and a training model which puts the world of work and the world of money together.
Aggarwal pointed out that modern apprenticeship systems are adopting a new direction. They are not only training people for traditional jobs, but also for emerging sectors such as the digital and green economies as well as the services sector.
Even universities in some countries have started offering apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeships are no longer confined to employment training for the youth, but older people are also using them for skills acquisition.
"No doubt apprenticeships are an effective and efficient form of learning, yet many countries find it difficult to sustain their skills education system," he said. "Establishing effective partnerships and synergies between stakeholders is the most challenging. But it is possible."
He said in many countries, apprenticeships still carry a stigma, many students do not want to join in and also a large proportion of enterprises do not have apprentice training systems.
"The basic thing is that if apprenticeship planning is taking place, both apprentices and employers have to legally participate, he said.
He said 187 members of the ILO have asked the organization to develop new standards to ensure that the quality and inclusiveness of apprenticeship programs provide benefits and protection to both apprentices and enterprises and enhance attractiveness.
In June next year, the member countries will together formulate a new standard with related discussions in the ensuing two years.
"We encourage dialogue because it's a joint effort, not only that some groups of people can work together, but also to develop the best standards and practices," he said.

Green skills must be given priority if the world is to achieve sustainable development, said panelists in the green skills section of the WorldSkills Conference 2021.
The panel discussion started with Lee Hee Dong, a CNC Milling engineer at Samsung Electronics, quoting the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's definition for green skills as "the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society." Lee is also a regional representative for Asia in the WorldSkills Champions Trust.
"My generation needs to lead the way in taking individual responsibility for making the word greener and urging industry to do the same," he said. "Young people want to contribute to a greener economy, find fulfillment, work for companies whose green values align with our own."
Olga Strietska-Ilina, senior skills and employability specialist with the International Labor Organization, said the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the labor market for all work, including green jobs.
She said in 2020 alone, 9 percent of working hours globally had been lost – equal to 255 million full-time jobs.
But she also said the ILO was glad to see employers' higher intentions in green skilling.
She said it was encouraging to see governments, regions and international organizations putting green recovery and green job on their agenda.
These included the UN Climate Change Action for Jobs Initiative, the IMF conditioning its financial support to invest in emergency loans in green sectors, and the European Green Deal which aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.
Dejene Tezera, director of the Department of Agri-Business of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, said the pandemic has accelerated the debate around sustainability, circularity, efficient resource management, and the necessity to create sustainable, circular and innovative business models.
"The shift to the green economy will also require a skilled workforce," he said.
He said this included skills in low carbon, environmental goods, services, industry, sustainable agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy, biodiversity preservation, sustainable forestry, wise water management, and so on.
"There is a huge opportunity to focus on skills, training and on innovation and green technologies. This will drive the green job creation," he said.
He also said that during the pandemic, people needed to adopt a new approach to day-to-day project implementation very quickly.
He cited the example of Morocco developing an online water and waste management training platform with unlimited access to courses, video sessions and virtual quadratic simulations for trainers and trainees to avoid unnecessary disruptions to training. As a result, Morocco continued with most of its projects during the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions.
Luo Shengqiang, a professor from Shanghai University of Engineering Science, said China had accelerated its transition towards a green economy during past decades.
"One clear example is that just a few months ago, the Chinese government announced its ambitious commitment to achieve a carbon dioxide emission peak before 2030, and also to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060," he said. "We have already witnessed tightened regulations on carbon dioxide emissions, and also the launch of a national carbon market."
He said the effect of COVID-19 on green transition in the short run was negative as firms with poor financial status would reduce their investment in green technologies and consumers with less income would choose not to buy the green but expensive products. But in the long run, he said, the effects would be positive.
"The pandemic has reminded the whole of humanity of the importance of a green economy, and a lot of green industries emerged because they are less resource-dependent," he said. "They are more energy-efficient and environment-friendly. They also gain more support from the government, the public and consumers. And a lot of high resource-dependent companies or high-pollution companies are driven out of the industry."
James Gomme, director of the People & Society Department of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, said the pandemic had raised public awareness in shocks brought by not only the COVID-19 waves, but also other disasters such as climate change and biodiversity loss. It also spurred increased business action to become more resilient and better prepared for the future.
"The other thing the pandemic has highlighted to the business community is the inter-connectivity of our global systems, and indeed of our natural systems, highlighting the fact that we cannot consider ourselves in isolation of each other as countries, sectors, as communities. And indeed, we can't consider ourselves in isolation from the natural world as well."
The pandemic had also demonstrated that "if private and public sectors come together to tackle these sorts of challenges, then solutions can be possible," he said. "More generally for individuals and companies and governments, the pandemic provided a critical reflection point, a chance for us to stop and think about how we want to rebuild better or build back better."
He also said businesses needed to embrace a transformative agenda to survive the impact of the pandemic.
Deb Geyer, vice president and corporate responsibility officer of US company Stanley Black & Decker, said her company saw the pandemic positively as an opportunity.
"When the pandemic hit, homes quickly became the epicenter of daily life," she said. "Employees who were in offices were now virtual, and we saw an incredible up tick.
"Our customers purchased our tools to help renovate. There are homes now to become offices and classrooms. So our sales growth certainly took off on what consumers needed in order to make their way through this pandemic."
She said the pandemic also helped the company to pivot its focus into health-care products, such as three-dimensional face shields, to help frontline health-care workers make it through. It also produced respirators and ventilators to keep people alive.

The five-day WorldSkills Conference 2021 concluded on Friday after 80 experts from all over the world spoke in 14 sessions on pressing issues such as green skills, poverty reduction and new apprenticeships.
With the COVID-19 pandemic as the backdrop, the discussions on the theme "The Road Ahead: Skills for a Resilient Future" explored the future of global skills development.
"We know recovery is a fragile process, but we must pay particular attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups who could be pushed back into extreme poverty," said David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, at the closing ceremony.
Throughout the week, he said, the conference "heard loud and clear that skills are the critical pathway out of the crisis and creating a green future."
"Equal access to skills is necessary to build equal societies and a more resilient world," he said.
The conference has built up confidence in overcoming the challenges and creating a better future, according to four conference moderators who shared their conclusions from intense discussions over the past week.
"The big topics discussed in this year's conference can be really scary, especially for a young person, because all of those topics vastly affect the future, our future," said Jacqueline Tanzer, regional representative for Europe, WorldSkills Champions Trust. "And often this can be so overwhelming and make you feel helpless, because you're so small compared with those big challenges we're facing.
"But what I got from previous discussions, as well as this conference, is that youth are incredibly resilient and brave enough to say, hey, something needs to change, and we want to be the ones to change it."
Nazrene Mannie, executive director of GAN Global Apprenticeship Network, said she was excited to hear the discussions that looked at innovations, invention, partnerships and alliances with "apprenticeship of front center in the drive to create an agile and responsive workforce."
"We've all agreed that apprenticeship is one important way to give people those tools to actively and meaningfully participate in the labor market," she said.
Shayne MacLachlan, communications and public affairs manager of the OECD Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, shared several inspiring stories about poverty alleviation around the world.
These included the personal story of Jiang Yingcheng, a young man from a poor mountainous area in China, who chose vocational education and won a gold medal in car painting at the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2017.
Jiang became a teacher at Hangzhou Technican College in Zhejiang Province. He not only has lifted his family out of poverty but also is passing on his skills to students in vulnerable communities to help them rise through skills development.
"We really need to continue the discussions about poverty alleviation in the context of skills development as there are a wide range of solutions for individuals to overcome poverty," he said.
"We've got to make sure that disadvantaged groups, vulnerable communities can access and participate equally so that no one's left behind."
Neil Bentley-Gockmann, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said the discussions he had moderated concluded the importance of "a real need for tighter workforce planning and for green skills in line with economic change and the development of green jobs by companies and key sectors."
Tang Tao, vice minister of China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said the conference has provided enlightenment on vocational education and training as well as skills development around the world after the COVID-19 pandemic and paved a solid ground for the WorldSkills Conference 2022.
He said China will continue to carry out exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world, and also contribute Chinese solutions in skills development in the world.
Peng Chenlei, vice mayor of Shanghai, said the city, as a cradle of modern industry in China and one of the talent hubs, is advancing steadily in preparing to host "a refined, safe, memorable" WorldSkills Competition.
A video of the new WorldSkills Museum, which is being developed at the waterfront of Huangpu River, known as Shanghai's "mother river," was shown at the conference closing session. It is set to open during the 46th WorldSkills Competition next year.

The WorldSkills Conference 2021 kicked off on Monday both online and live from Shanghai on the theme of "The Road Ahead: Skills for a Resilient Future."
Chris Humphries, president of WorldSkills International, said in the opening speech that the 46th WorldSkills Competition, which will take place in less than a year in Shanghai, will be a cause for celebration as "we emerge from a trying time and advance from global skills developed."
"Just as skills have the power to lead the world's recovery from COVID-19, so can they better prepare the next generation by focusing on green technology, inclusion, diversity and equity," said Humphries.
He said the five-day conference would bring together many of the finest minds and experts from industry, education, nongovernmental organizations and governments to shape a path forward, and some young people to share their perspectives and draw attention to the urgent issues they would be required to solve.
A series of panel discussions have been arranged in the conference to discuss topics such as skills for green jobs, poverty reduction through skills and the future of apprenticeship systems.
"This is the start of a meaningful conversation that we will continue next year in Shanghai," Humphries said. "To this great community of skills, I know we can find solutions and draw on their power to energize us all with a renewed spirit of optimism and determination to rebuild stronger with enhanced focus and more inclusion."
Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, said that currently preparations for the event are progressing smoothly and steadily and have entered their final stage. Prioritized tasks, such as preparations for the competition, the WorldSkills Conference, the WorldSkills Expo, and the WorldSkills Museum, are well underway.
Gong said, with guidance and support from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China, Shanghai will continue to strengthen communication and collaboration with WorldSkills International, better coordinate COVID-19 prevention and control, and make every effort to host an innovative and influential WorldSkills Competition.
"Looking ahead, we will take the 46th WorldSkills Competition as an opportunity to further improve our modern vocational education system, lifelong vocational training system, multilevel vocational skills competition system, and all-around incentivization and support system for skilled talent to provide stronger support for Shanghai's high-quality economic development," he said.
Zhang Ji'nan, minister of human resources and social security, said in his speech that skills are the core and most basic factor linking technological innovation and production practices, playing an irreplaceable role in economic development and social progress.
"China has been enhancing its development of skilled labor by carrying out intensive campaigns to improve the population's vocational skills, lifting poor rural families out of poverty by developing skills and helping tens of millions of workers find stable jobs and increase their incomes," he said.
He called on the world to highlight the value of skills and cultivate more talent to boost economic and social development.
He asked all attendees to seize opportunities and rise up to challenges to promote innovative skill development, promoting digital and green technologies.
He also said the whole world should work side by side to strengthen international exchanges and promote the common development of skills in all countries.

The mascots of the 46th WorldSkills Competition – Nengneng and Qiaoqiao – hitched a ride into space on the Long March-2D rocket titled "Shanghai WorldSkills Competition" on Thursday.

Launched at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province, the rocket sent 11 satellites, including China's first solar observation satellite, into preset orbits, marking the start of the solar exploration mission.

The satellite, which will conduct the first space exploration of solar Hα spectral imaging, will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 517 kilometers, with a solar space telescope as its primary scientific payload. It will help researchers observe changes in the sun during solar flares, such as atmospheric temperature and velocity.

The naming of the rocket was part of celebrations signaling the one-year countdown to the 46th WorldSkills Competition which will take place in Shanghai on October 12-17 next year. It was a salute to the craftspeople who have made great contributions to the aerospace industry in China. It's also expected to promote public respect for craftsmanship, with a message that even common workers can achieve success with skills.

The satellite bears the patterns of the mascots and logo on the top and the name of the Competition at the bottom. Its launch also propels a wish for candidates to skyrocket to success in the Competition.

It was the 55th flight mission of the Long March-2D carrier rocket, which was developed by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. It has sent 132 satellites, with a 100 percent success rate, into planned orbits in the past 30 years, well demonstrating craftspeople’s extreme pursuit of skills excellence.

The solar-probe satellite's design includes the separation of its platform cabin and payload cabin, thus ensuring the ultra-high target accuracy and stability of the payload. Its production required high precision. For example, the range error of the gap between the payload hoverboard and the payload cabin floor should be controlled within 0.05 millimeters, which is as thin as a piece of hair.

The assembly team was well chosen, with all members highly skilled and familiar with the process to ensure the satellite was ready in time.

The naming of the rocket is part of the 46th WorldSkills Competition Organizing Committee’s plans to promote the event. The WorldSkills flag was brought to the summit of Mount Qomolangma on May 27 last year and the Antarctic on January 19 this year.

WorldSkills is the highest-level vocational skills competition in the world and an important platform to promote skills excellence.

It will be organized on the Chinese mainland for the first time next year and Shanghai will be host city. By hosting the event, China wishes to enhance exchanges with other countries and help promote skills development around the world.

The 46th WorldSkills Competition was promoted at a three-day national vocational skill competition with a theme of rural vitalization in Urumqi, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which concluded on Tuesday.
The event saw 640 contestants from all over China showcase their excellence in 11 different skills categories, such as repairing agricultural machines, hairdressing, cooking, running e-commerce businesses, electrical engineering and other aspects that are related to the country's rural vitalization.
During the competition, there was also an area for exchange between different regions. Shanghai set up an exhibition booth in the center of the facility to promote the 46th WorldSkills Competition, which is set to take place in the city next year. The exhibition also displayed the WorldSkills Museum with videos, photos, and documents.
Visitors were also welcomed to answer questions about the WorldSkills Competition to win souvenirs.
The competition is taking place on the Chinese mainland for the first time on October 12-17 in 2022 with Shanghai as the host city. It will feature more than 1,400 participants from over 60 countries and regions competing in over 60 categories. A WorldSkills Conference on October 13 and 14 will bring together leaders in education, government, business, and industry from around the globe.

Organizers of the 46th WorldSkills Competition are seeking unique skills performances to be staged during the world-famous international skills event which is to take place in Shanghai next year.
From now until December 10, people from all walks of life can submit short videos showcasing their outstanding skills to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's email address (mohrss_waishichu@126.com) along with their application forms. Compact discs and paper versions of the forms should also be delivered to the ministry's international exchange center.
Skills for the competition can include things such as traditional handicraft, manufacturing, services or new technology and must be professional, unique, challenging, and eye-catching.
Videos should be no longer than three minutes.
About 100 videos will be selected via online voting and expert assessment to be displayed on platforms such as Yangshipin and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) for another round of voting and assessment between January and April next year to choose the top 50.
In May, another round of voting will pick out the 20 finalists who will perform their skills at the WorldSkills Competition. Experts will vote for the top 10 contestants together with on-site and online audiences.
For further information about the selection process, call phone numbers (010)84218625, 8420125, or 815010212167 or send an email to mohrss_waishichu@126.com.

Su Bingtian, the first Chinese sprinter to race in the Olympic men's 100 meters final, was unveiled by the WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 Executive Bureau as an ambassador to promote the 46th WorldSkills Competition next year.
The WorldSkills Competition is an event organized by WorldSkills International biennially and is regarded as the gold standard of skills excellence. It aims to inspire young competitors to reach new heights and help them turn their passion into a profession.
The competition will be held on the Chinese mainland for the first time on October 12-17 next year, with Shanghai the host city.
It will feature more than 1,400 participants from 60-plus countries and regions competing in 63 skills in areas ranging from construction and building technology to manufacturing and engineering, as well as information and communication technology and social care, creative art and fashion.
Su, 31, made history at the Tokyo Olympics on August 1 when he became the first Chinese to qualify for an Olympic men's 100m final, setting a new Asian record of 9.83 seconds in the semifinals. He finished sixth in the final, which was won by Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs.
In the men's 4x100m relay race, the Su-led Chinese team came fourth again after the 2016 Rio Games in 37.79 seconds that tied China's national record.
The bureau said Su has shown unremitting persistence and strength in striving for excellence, just like the skills competition.
In a recorded video, Su stated that the WorldSkills Competition provides a broad platform for skilled competitors to show off their talent, just like the Olympics for athletes.
"Around the world, there are countless ordinary people achieving their dreams and contributing to society with their skills," he said. "They deserve our encouragement and cheers."
He also called on people to follow the WorldSkills Competition and encouraged more young people to develop a passion and achieve their dreams in skills.
To promote the 46th WorldSkills Competition and artisanship among young people, event organizers have invited several celebrities to highlight its importance.
Among them are Chinese idol group "Teens in Times;" China's top beauty influencer Li Jiaqi; young Chinese actors Yi Yangqianxi and Ding Yuxi; actresses Tan Songyun and Mao Xiaotong; as well as former WorldSkills winners Song Biao, Chen Yifan and Yuan Qiang.
Preparations for the event are well under way. Work is also ongoing to convert the century-old Yong'an Warehouse in Yangpu District into the WorldSkills Museum, which will tell the story of how skills have changed the lives of people and societies around the world and the efforts of the WorldSkills global community.
The WorldSkills Conference 2021 – for experts from international organizations and government officials, as well as business and industry leaders – will be held live in Shanghai and online on October 25-29.
The conference will discuss the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on vocational education and training and how skills can address some of the world's pressing challenges, such as climate change, poverty, or the future of work.

One of WorldSkills newest Members, Azerbaijan hosted its first national Web Programming competition as part of WorldSkills Year of Innovation.
The two-day event was also the latest example of the growing trend of sharing skills among Members, with WorldSkills Korea providing support in organizing and developing the test projects.
Held between 12-13 July at the Baku State Industry and Innovation VET Center, the contest began with a 15-question speed test to shortlist candidates from the more than 100 hundred who applied.
Under the rules, those up to age 21 could register, with the aim of selection to the Azerbaijan team for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

The 20 finalists were then given three modules to solve, with two hours allocated to complete each one.
The result was three winners, who received prizes that included education package from an IT education provider and internship opportunities.
Following the closing ceremony, a panel discussion was held on the topic “Digitalization of Education, What's on Perspective?".
Azerbaijan became a WorldSkills Member in 2020 as part of the State Agency for Vocational Education, under the Ministry of Education.
The organizers also thanked WorldSkills Korea, and its Web Technology Expert, Seung Lyul Ryu.
“Mr Ryu provided great support to us in the organization of this competition,” they said, through both the test projects, and speed test stage questions, were first tested on one of his students to determine the appropriate level of difficulty.
“During the organization, Mr Ryu was always available to answer our questions,’ they added.