13 October, 2025, Croatia – At the opening session of WorldSkills General Assembly 2025 in Croatia, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau (WSS2026) unveiled the official packages for the Competition and for the first time in WorldSkills history, appointed 11 representatives of the WorldSkills Champions Trust as “WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Global Dream Ambassadors”, signalling a major acceleration in preparations for the Competition.

Founded in 1950, WorldSkills International (WSI) now unites 89 Member countries and regions, reaching two-thirds of the global population. Addressing Member delegates in Dubrovnik, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 confirmed that the Competition will run from 22 to 27 September 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), featuring 64 skills and attracting more than 1,400 Competitors from over 60 Member countries and regions.

To date, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 has identified 11,000 categories and approximately one million pieces of Competition infrastructure and completed technical alignment with 161 prospective sponsors. The sponsor family is on track to exceed 200 companies, and 95% of Category-A items will be secured through sponsorship agreements. The Competition Preparation Week will take place in Shanghai from 2 to 5 February 2026.

Following the WorldSkills tradition, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 will offer WorldSkills Members comprehensive packages providing accommodation, meals, airport and venue transfers, and access to official events. Fixed delegate packages are officially launched in Croatia today and will open for booking on 13 November, 2025; dynamic packages for Global Partners, sponsors and media will follow early next year.

To ensure a smooth journey for overseas clients, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 will provide visa support, dedicated immigration channels at Pudong and Hongqiao airports, continuous shuttle services connecting hotels, the Competition venue and the Ceremony venue, and a four-tier portfolio of 31 officially contracted hotels. Catering will be tailored to the needs of each client group.

Global Dream Ambassadors create a first for WorldSkills

Also on the opening session, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 and WorldSkills International jointly presented appointment letters to 11 WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Global Dream Ambassadors who are WorldSkills Champions Trust members drawn from five continents: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, China, Costa Rica, Finland, Jamaica, India, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia. Beyond being technical benchmark achievers in their own fields, the Ambassadors are committed to promoting vocational education and skills training and dismantling occupational stereotypes, using personal stories to demonstrate how skills can change lives and inspire the global youth to master skills.

Lu Jingyi (China), gold Medallist in Chemical Laboratory Technology at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, exemplifies the power of skills. After failing the senior-high entrance examination, she enrolled at Henan Chemical Technician College, mastered analytical testing and now campaigns to convince young people that “vocational skills can also light up the future.” As Asia’s ambassador, she actively promotes vocational colleges, working with government to raise public awareness of vocational education and skills training. She wants craftspeopleto take pride in their skills and thus “live a fuller life,” and she looks forward to using China’s role as the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 host to “deepen ties between with other Asian countries and the rest of the world, advancing global skills exchange.”

Europe’s ambassador, Nurit Davidowicz (Austria), Industry 4.0 Medallion for Excellence winner , leverages dual-education experience and a strong social-media presence to advocate gender equality. Vocational trainer Mihle Mvelakubi (South Africa), is working to overturn negative perceptions of vocational education.

By engaging WorldSkills Champions as WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Global Dream Ambassadors, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026underlines the Competition’s international character and will harness their global influence to attract more young people to skills careers, injecting fresh vitality and multicultural elements into the Event.

Delivering an innovative, inclusive, and green WorldSkills Competition

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 has reaffirmed its commitment to following the principles of innovation, openness, sustainability, and safety. Cutting-edge digital technologies and modern tools will underpin both competition and non-competition events, blending Chinese characteristics with world-class standards and delivering Chinese solutions for the sustainable development of skills globally. Through these efforts, WSS2026 seeks to deliver a creative and influential WorldSkills Competition.