WorldSkills and ILO sign Memorandum of Understanding

WorldSkills International and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have made a public declaration to continue important work together. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on 23 September at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 in front of representatives from both organizations and the wider WorldSkills community.

The ILO has been a partner of WorldSkills for nearly a decade, as a member of the WorldSkills Conference Coalition, an advisor with the WorldSkills Global Research Council, and a strategic partner on programmes and projects.

The renewed commitment will see the two partners working closely on enhancing the WorldSkills Occupational Standards, bringing them closer to industry’s needs. They also intend to work on skills taxonomies and explore more ways to expand the impact of WorldSkills beyond Competitions.

The MOU was made between David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International, and Hao Bin, Assistant Director-General of the ILO. In a week where WorldSkills Members voted to approve Vision 2035, the agreement signals the power of partnerships to drive change.

At the signing, Mr Hoey said, “At the heart of this MOU, we share the ambition to strengthen skills systems and increase the quality and recognition of skills globally. We’ll bring our research and networks together to strengthen the evidence behind TVET policy and practice.”

He concludes, “We are very pleased to take this next step with the ILO, and we look forward to what we can achieve together. By joining forces, we have a real opportunity to turn practical experience and evidence into stronger TVET policies and systems.”

Learn more about WorldSkills Vision 2035 and WorldSkills programmes and projects.