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September 23, 2020

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9 skills added to WorldSkills as new fields thrive

Nine new skills projects will be added to the 46th WorldSkills Competition, scheduled to take place in Shanghai next year, organizers announced yesterday as the city marked the one-year countdown to the event.

The nine new skills are building information modelling, industrial design technology, Industry 4.0, robotic system integration, electrooptical technology, renewable energy, additive manufacturing, mobile application development and rail vehicle technology.

“All the skills are included in the existing category list to adapt the top skills competition in the world to the development of new industries and the needs for new skills,” Peng Chenlei, vice mayor of Shanghai and deputy director of the organizing committee, told a press conference.

The new events were agreed by WorldSkills International, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Shanghai government — the three parties organizing the competition — at a video conference on Monday, said Zhao Zhuping, deputy secretary general of the Shanghai government and director of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 Executive Bureau.

It will take the total number of competing categories in the event to 63, its highest ever. Among them, 53 were skills projects at the 45th competition in Kazan and one was a combination of two skills.

All the 63 skills projects are now open to all members of the WorldSkills Organization for registration, said Zhao.

Tang Tao, vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said preparations are well underway despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A special team has been set up in the ministry and Shanghai has launched the executive bureau to work in coordination,” he said. “And we’ve also swiftly moved communication with the WorldSkills International online after the outbreak of the pandemic.”

He said that, despite uncertainties brought by the pandemic, organizers decided to work as scheduled amid hopes of quick progress on vaccines and other positive signs.

Zhang Lixin, head of the professional capabilities development department at the ministry, said the organizers will continue to keep a close eye on COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the pandemic and accordingly make preparations for the event.

“We will coordinate with all other relevant departments to solve possible problems in areas such as visas, entry of personnel and goods and media invitations to ensure the competition runs as scheduled, including a meeting on technology preparation week in mid March and a testing competition in early April,” he said.

He said China would continue to promote the competition around the country. From November, activities including an exhibition of China’s achievements in previous WorldSkills competitions, and a competition flag relay will be organized throughout the Chinese mainland.

During the competition in September, a WorldSkills conference will be organized with “New Youth, New Skills, New Dreams – Sustainable Development for Skills” as its theme.

Zhang said participants will share their views on skills development and sustainable development, skills development and poverty relief, cooperation between schools and enterprises in vocational training and high-quality apprenticeships, transformation of WorldSkills standards and talent cultivation, and the influence of COVID-19 on vocational training.

Peng said Shanghai is determined to host “an innovative and influential” WorldSkills competition next year. He said new technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G will be used to operate the competition in a “green, smart, scientific and humane” way.

Four enterprises — Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications, Shanghai Pudong Development Band and SAIC Motor — have been selected as national strategic sponsors for the competition and it is expected to attract more than 200 sponsors in total.

Organizers plan to run the entire event at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Zhao said 220,000 square meters will be used to organize the competition and a skills expo.

“We have drafted nearly 20,000 kinds of materials and appliances needed for infrastructure. Each skills project will need about 300 kinds on average and the aircraft maintenance project will need more than 600. We estimate that we will use more than 450,000 items of materials and appliances in total, including equipment like aircraft engines and small tools.”

Peng said 64 schools in the city will showcase more than 70 skills during the competition, which is expected to attract an audience of about 600,000. The city is also working out plans to assist vocational skills development in Africa.

Work is also underway to renovate the century-old Wing On Warehouse in Yangpu District of Shanghai into the WorldSkills Museum.

Zhao Yongfeng, director of the Shanghai Human Recourses and Social Security Bureau and secretary general of the competition’s organizing committee, said the museum should be completed by the end of the year and exhibitions will be designed simultaneously.




 

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