20 September 2026
Set-up is almost complete for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026
After months of preparation and planning, the finishing touches are being made to the global stage for skills.
With less than 72 hours to go until WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 begins, the final pieces of the world’s largest skills competition are being put into place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC).
Its impressive halls are being transformed into workshops for 64 skill competitions, covering approximately 300,000 square metres, the equivalent to 50 football pitches. From professional kitchens and florist studios to robotics labs and drone-flight zones, these workshops are being kitted out with the specific tools, materials, and equipment each trade demands. Over the four days of competition, 400,000 visitors are expected to pass through the NECC to watch the action unfold.
Attila Boros, Skill Competition Manager for Floristry, describes the scale of getting their workshop ready for the Competition. He says, “Every tool and material needs to be carefully considered and prepared in advance, ensuring everyone has the same professional conditions to demonstrate their skills. We are creating an environment where the world’s best young florists can truly showcase their creativity, technical ability, and individual vision.”
Attila explains how they have designed the workshop to mirror a real florist shop. He explains, “One of the most exciting elements this year is the Flower Market Place. For selected modules, Competitors will go to the market and select and purchase the flowers and plants they want to use for their work. This is because being a great florist is about much more than creating beautiful work. It is about selecting the right materials, managing a budget, making decisions, and understanding which materials will best support a creative concept.”
This year’s Competition will feature seven new skill areas that reflect shifting demands for skills within the labour market and how the WorldSkills movement continues to adapt to the rapidly evolving world around us. These new skills are Dental Prosthetics, Digital Media Interactive Design, Intelligent Security Technology, Rail Vehicle Technology, Retail Sales, Software Testing, and Unmanned Aerial Systems.
For these seven skills, this is the first time their workshops have been designed and built, and this can present its own challenges. The Skill Competition Managers are working closely with WorldSkills Global Partners to ensure they have the right equipment and infrastructure in place. Global Partners are also offering specialist technical support teams to assist with the set up.
Alongside the skill competition halls, WorldSkills Conference 2026 is ready to welcome over 2,000 delegates, including 50 Ministers from around the world. The space has been designed carefully to support panels and plenary sessions, as much as small group discussion and networking. A great example of this is the Skills CoLab marketplace where Members and Partners can showcase best practice and forge new partnerships.
The WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Expo build has been an immense collaborative effort. There are contributions from Member countries and regions, Global Partners, sponsors, and industry associations. This “skills carnival for everyone” will provide interactive experiences including Try-a-Skill stands where visitors can try out trades for themselves.
Jane Stokie, Director of Skills Competitions for WorldSkills International, reflects on what it takes to bring a Competition of this scale to life. She says, “Turning the world’s largest conference exhibition centre into 64 state-of-the-art workshops takes years of planning and thousands of hours from hundreds of people. Watching it all come together in these final days makes every hour of preparation worth it.”
She continues, “As well as creating the optimum space for our skill competitions, we want the halls to be places of inspiration where hundreds of thousands of visitors can marvel at the mastery of our young skilled Competitors and learn how skills are the building blocks of a more secure and sustainable future.”