On the morning of 10 June, three caravans emblazoned with “Nengneng” and “Qiaoqiao”, the mascots of the 48th WorldSkills Competition, departed from Shanghai, officially launching a half-month roadshow across the Yangtze River Delta. During the roam, the WorldSkills-themed caravans will travel through Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, bringing precious exhibits from the WorldSkills Museum and the inspiring stories of WorldSkills Champions directly to young people in the region.

As the highest-level vocational skills competition in the world, the 48th WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27, 2026. According to the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau, the Yangtze River Delta is one of China’s most economically vibrant and industrially advanced regions. It has a well-developed vocational education system, strong industrial resources, and a rich tradition of craftsmanship. For decades, the region has been a pioneer of skilled talent training, technological innovation, and the commercialization of innovation outcomes. Bringing the WorldSkills roadshow to the Yangtze River Delta is a practical step that will leverage the advantages of regional integration to enhance the WorldSkills brand. It will also expand the event’s social influence with its well-planned initiative to promote integration between WorldSkills concepts and regional industries. The roadshow is also expected to help improve the quality of vocational education and accelerate the cross-regional mobility of highly skilled talent.

The Executive Bureau hopes that the roadshow, together with its event mascots “Nengneng” and “Qiaoqiao”, will connect regional resources and build a bridge between WorldSkills and young people in the Yangtze River Delta. The initiative aims to bring the WorldSkills spirit into campuses, building connections with the youth, while fostering a strong social atmosphere that values skills, respects labor, and honors craftsmanship. By promoting the 48th WorldSkills Competition, the roadshow encourages the students to pursue skill-based careers, serve the country through their expertise, and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta.

Three WorldSkills-themed caravans will serve as “mobile WorldSkills Museums” during the roadshow. They will visit 10 technical colleges in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces, forming a skills culture tour route across the Yangtze River Delta.

The roadshow will feature a rich variety of activities and interactive formats to convey the WorldSkills spirit and carry forward craftsmanship culture. First, a special exhibition titled “WorldSkills Up Close” will display valuable exhibits from the WorldSkills Museum. It will allow teachers and students to view the exhibits up close and gain a direct understanding of the professional appeal and global influence of the WorldSkills events; Second, the “Face to Face with Masters” sessions will invite WorldSkills medalists and industry skills masters to campuses to share their personal growth stories, Competition experiences, and professional insights, promoting craftsmanship through the power of role models; Third, immersive skills experiences will be offered, featuring Yangtze River Delta intangible cultural heritage and signature crafts such as Suzhou embroidery, wood carving, Huizhou ink making, and lacquer painting. Through hands-on practice, teachers and students will experience the beauty of integrating traditional craftsmanship with modern skills; Fourth, a high-employment-rate exploration tour will take participants into the flagship specialties of technician colleges to learn first-hand about skilled talent training models, curriculum systems, and employment advantages. The roam will reveal the training approaches behind high-quality employment for skilled talent.

At every stop along the route, young students can step inside the caravans to view the WorldSkills exhibition up close. They also have the unique opportunity to interact face-to-face with skill role models such as Zhang Xiaofei, Champion in Painting and Decorating at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, and Song Biao, China’s first winner of the Albert Vidal Award. This makes “skills” a truly visible and tangible expression of everyday life.