New data demonstrates how WorldSkills Lyon 2024 increased confidence, connections, and commercial growth

When 1,400 young Champions participated in WorldSkills Lyon 2024, they felt part of something transformative. Now, research from WorldSkills International provides evidence of this profound impact. Its new impact survey shows an impressive 86 per cent of Champions left the Competition with more, or much more, confidence in their skills.

Of the WorldSkills Champions surveyed:

• 88% experienced a surge in personal accomplishment
• 74% felt recognized for their achievements
• 87% felt a strong sense of belonging to the WorldSkills community
• 77% said they are ready and willing to become advocates for their skill

These are just a few of the highlights from the impact survey, which was conducted independently to create robust impact data. David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, urges Members and Partners to use this data to unlock new support and funding.

He says, “It is increasingly important for our community to be able to demonstrate a return on their investment of time, money, and expertise. Thanks to this survey, we have proof that young people, communities, and industries are changed for the better through WorldSkills.”

WorldSkills seized the opportunity to launch its new Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Guide and Toolkit for WorldSkills Competitions at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 last September. These valuable resources give Members a common framework language for measuring the impact of Competitions.

Then, between 22 October and 25 November 2024, WorldSkills issued impact surveys designed from the framework. Over 800 responses were received from WorldSkills Champions, WorldSkills Experts, WorldSkills Members, Global Partners, and Event Sponsors.

While Champions acknowledged a greater sense of confidence, WorldSkills Experts confirmed that the Competition increased their knowledge and connections:

• 91% expanded their professional networks, with 35% saying they made more than 10 new connections during the Competition
• 85% gained access to innovative training methods
• 58% said their knowledge of new technologies improved
• 71% felt a strong sense of belonging to the WorldSkills community

Global Partners and Event Sponsors reported that they were able to harness new opportunities for commercial growth by being at the Competition:

• All Partners and Sponsors who responded to the survey confirmed the Competition helped them showcase their products and expertise
• Seven in ten said the Competition helped them increase their global reach
• 40% believed networking at the event increased their ability to influence policy

Meanwhile, WorldSkills Members saw increased engagement from their teams, their partners, and funders:

• 95% said participating in WorldSkills Lyon 2024 increased their team’s skills, knowledge, and motivation
• 80% were able to identify potential partnerships
• 80% said they were able to raise awareness of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) amongst government funders
• 60% said the Competition helped them gain support from government funders

After such a successful start, the structured approach and rigorous data of the impact survey will help shape future Competitions and deliver evidence that can demonstrate the impact, value, and return from investing in TVET globally.

David goes on to reflect, “While it may be our first [Impact survey], our hope is that the IMM framework will be used to evaluate all WorldSkills initiatives going forward. Putting standardized measurement methods in the hands of our Members will make us better equipped to demonstrate the value of our work and share our impact with our stakeholders.”

Take a look at the infographic (PDF, 215KB) for a visual representation of the IMM survey results. Please get in touch with Grace Lung, Senior Manager of Partnership Programmes at grace.lung@worldskills.org for more information about IMM at WorldSkills.