With the 46th WorldSkills Competition less than eight months away, an online Competition Preparation Week (CPW) kicked off on Tuesday.

The weeklong event is one of the key milestones in the organization of a WorldSkills Competitions, which usually take place eight to nine months prior to the competition.

It features a series of meetings to discuss and decide on detailed plans for the skill competitions, including facilities and technical standards, so that organizers and participants can prepare for the event accordingly.

Hu Chunhua, Chinese vice premier and chief of the lead group for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022, said at the opening ceremony for CPW that the Chinese government has attached great importance to preparations for the competition, and President Xi Jinping has made it clear that efforts should be made to hold an innovative WorldSkills Competition with extensive influence.

"Since China won the bid to host the event, we have been closely communicating with WorldSkills International and its Members to make preparations, and we are confident we will fulfill our promise to deliver a creative and influential skills gala to the world," Hu said.

Hu said the WorldSkills Competition is the largest and highest-level vocational competition in the world and reflects the advanced level of vocational skills development, as well as a platform for skilled people from all over the world to show off their skills and enhance friendship.

"China will spare no effort to support Competition Preparation Week so WorldSkills International, Members and other stakeholders can have sufficient exchanges and communication," he said. "We also welcome feedback about the preparations for WorldSkills Competition 2022, which will help us lay a solid foundation for its success."

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Zhang Jinan said the 46th WorldSkills Competition will draw on the experience of the Beijing Winter Olympics to make a thorough plan and overcome all challenges to ensure a good experience for all participants under appropriatepandemic prevention and control measures.

He also said that China will adhere to the "economical, safe and green" concept to organize the competition, trying its best to improve the organization and operational efficiency of the event, implement environmental requirements, and create a healthy and safe environment for participants.

"We are ready to work with WorldSkills International and its Members to give full play to the leading role of the WorldSkills Competition to make positive contributions to the cultivation of global skills development," said Zhang.

Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng said the city government has been working closely with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, WorldSkills International and other stakeholders to come up with effective preparations against the influence of the pandemic, and hold a competition highlighting the charm and strength of innovation, technology and skills.

"We will adhere to a people-centric principle to continue improving our anti-pandemic measures and make every effort to build solid barriers to ensure safety," he said. "With utmost care, we will create a first-class environment for participants and work closely with all stakeholders to improve our service plans and stage a safe and successful WorldSkills Competition."

Chris Humphries, WorldSkills International president and chair of the board, thanked China, Shanghai, WorldSkills China and the WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 Executive Bureau for their efforts preparing for the 46th WorldSkills Competition.

He said China has made great progress creating closed loop management policies.

Humphries lauded joint efforts for promoting skills development and the role of skills in creating a sustainable, equitable, diverse and inclusive world.

This year, preparatory week activities will bring together over 300 key stakeholders, including skill management teams, Members, Global Partners, Competition Organizers and WorldSkills International, to plan for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.

The Competition, the first of its kind to be held on the Chinese mainland, will take place in Shanghai 12-17 October with 63 skill competitions.

In the following days, a series of videoconference meetings will be held to finalize the infrastructure list, workshop layouts, logistics, equipment and tools, health, safety and environmental requirements.

Along with the weeklong discussions, the task of coordinating 63 individual skill competitions is so complex that meetings for each skill began on January 20 and will continue until March 11.