Report
In pursuit of skills excellence
A new report released at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 traces China’s 15-year journey from a single silver medal at WorldSkills London 2011 to a global example of a thriving skills system.
In Pursuit of Skills Excellence: The Experience of China in WorldSkills Competitions, 2010–2024 has been researched and written by WorldSkills, supported by the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre and Shanghai Normal University.
The report describes how China’s participation in WorldSkills Competitions has been a catalyst for change and given the country a valuable global benchmark for its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Through its WorldSkills membership and its involvement in OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), China has been able to create more vocational opportunities for its young people as well as build the capacity of its educators and trainers.
The report shows how a Member country can grow the quality and impact of its own TVET systems. As Andreas Schleicher, OECD’s Director for Education and Skills, writes in his foreword, “The future will be built by people who know how to turn knowledge into action, ideas into solutions, and possibility into reality.”
