26 March 2025
Celebrating 75 years as the #GlobalStageForSkills
WorldSkills sets the stage for a year of celebrations with the launch of a new campaign that shines a spotlight on the incredible people and moments that have made WorldSkills history and are shaping its future.
For more than seven decades, WorldSkills has put skills on the global stage. Today, it launches a new campaign designed to drive greater belief in the power of skills. The Global Stage for Skills campaign positions skills as a catalyst for social and economic development, while marking an important milestone in the organization’s history.
The #GlobalStageForSkills highlights how WorldSkills has grown over 75 years from a modest skills contest in Europe in 1950 into a global movement that is playing a pivotal role in elevating the significance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The campaign acknowledges the global stage that is the WorldSkills movement. The hundreds of local, regional, and national WorldSkills Competitions hosted around the world culminate in the world’s largest skills competition. At each level, thousands of young people take centre stage to demonstrate their exceptional talents and prove why skills excellence has never been more vital.
WorldSkills now has 89 Members and 28 Global Industry Partners, not to mention the hundreds of national education, industry, and government supporters. Each one of them is working tirelessly to support the next generation, improve TVET strategies, and drive greater investment in skills.
Shawna Bourke, Director of Marketing and Communications at WorldSkills International, emphasizes the campaign’s role in showcasing skills excellence through the decades. She says, “WorldSkills has built an incredible legacy of championing skills development and excellence. The #GlobalStageForSkills allows us to highlight our impact while looking to the future. Our 75th anniversary creates an important moment to highlight how skills transform lives and economies, so we can inspire the next generation of skilled professionals to take their place on the global stage."
David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, believes the timing of the campaign is significant. He says, “As we celebrate 75 years of WorldSkills, we are seeing a growing recognition of TVET’s importance to social and economic development. This campaign arrives at a crucial moment as we develop Vision 2035, WorldSkills Conference 2026, and WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. Through the #GlobalStageForSkills, we can demonstrate why skills are essential to transform lives, industries, and communities.”