The WorldSkills Competition is inspiring young professionals from around the globe to exchange knowledge and experience, with a focus on vocational training that goes well beyond the competition floor.
The 48th WorldSkills Competition is taking place from September 22 to 27 in Shanghai. French team members arrived at the Shanghai Caoyang Vocational School for the "One School One Member" event on Tuesday.
At this year's event, Chinese and French competitors are discovering not only how to excel but also how different countries prepare young professionals for the same trades. In fields ranging from cooking and baking to hairdressing and beauty therapy, France has a long-established tradition of vocational training, with close ties to industry.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Caoyang Vocational School continues its longstanding partnership with French culinary institutions, enabling in-depth cross-cultural exchanges.
WorldSkills 2026 participants are sharing techniques, practical experience, and a firsthand understanding of how vocational skills are taught and developed beyond the contest.
"My competition is separate in four modules and each module is independent and the objective we have like some fresh machine without any configuration and the objective is to build up all the configuration to get the more precise like the subject described,” said Charlie Gourdien, who is competing in the IT network systems administrator challenge.
"My skill is the fashion technology. I make garments, I make sketches and it's very creative," said Manon Pouivet, who is taking part in the fashion technology competition.
These exchanges reflect a wider transformation in global vocational education. Today's training combines technical know-how, creativity, communication skills, and awareness of international standards.
Medals are just the beginning for many WorldSkills participants. Some go on to coach and inspire others through organizations like the WorldSkills Champions Trust.
"I competed in WorldSkills Special Edition 2022 in Switzerland in the skill of cooking. I can see from when I was competing and four years after how the current competitors are competing, the level is very different. So I would say it's growing very fast. The trends are changing. Every year we have different trends. There's definitely more focus now to hands-on skills, so less of using molds and ready stuff and we're more focusing on the competitors' hand skills and their creativity,” said Leyla Valiyeva, a member of WorldSkills Champions Trust.
Ultimately, whether preparing a dish or creating a hairstyle, each moment of excellence at WorldSkills is backed by years of rigorous training and collaboration among schools, industry, and instructors. The competition is about much more than medals. It's a platform for global exchange, raising standards and bringing new ideas and practices to vocational training worldwide.
WorldSkills Competition puts spotlight on vocational training, education
