New WorldSkills report traces China’s skills journey

WorldSkills International and the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre, based at Shanghai Normal University, have partnered to produce a new report called “In Pursuit of Skills Excellence”. It examines how taking part in international skills competitions can strengthen vocational training and better meet industry needs.

Unveiled during WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, the report examines China’s progress over the past 15 years. China made its debut at WorldSkills London 2011, where its team of six Competitors earned one silver medal and five Medallions for Excellence. Since then, China has topped the medal table at four consecutive WorldSkills Competitions, winning more than 160 medals.

By exploring the links between China’s participation in WorldSkills Competitions and its investment in skills nationally, the report shows how Competition success has acted as a catalyst for improvements in China’s TVET system. It also shows how China has used WorldSkills Occupational Standards and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to create more vocational opportunities.

In his foreword to the report, Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, says China’s experience shows what can be achieved when international benchmarks support national skills development. He says, “The future will belong to societies that can combine knowledge with know-how, ideas with execution, and innovation with the human capacity to make things work.”

He continues, “Building effective opportunities for TVET has proved challenging because it cannot be done in classrooms alone. It hinges on an effective integration of the world of learning with the world of work.”

David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, notes that the report also provides an opportunity to share China’s experience with the wider WorldSkills community, saying, “We hope this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of China’s experience with WorldSkills, and encourage further international collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and policy innovation.”

Delegates at WorldSkills Conference 2026 have seen these ideas in practice through industry field trips to colleges, workplaces, and innovation hubs across Shanghai.

The full report is available online or you can find out more about other WorldSkills projects.