Chinese competitors win big at WorldSkills

The purpose of joining the WorldSkills Competition is not to win medals but to help build a team of skilled workers for the country’s development, said a senior human resources official.

Tang Tao, vice-minister of human resources and social security, made the comment on Saturday during the welcoming ceremony in Beijing for the return of the Chinese delegation from the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which ended on Thursday.

China won 15 gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals during the event, the best performance by a Chinese delegation since the country joined WorldSkills in 2010.

It’s a historic breakthrough that shows the growing strength of the country and the improvement of skilled Chinese talent, Tang said at the ceremony.

China earned gold medals for the first time at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015, taking home five gold, six silver and three bronze medals.

However, he said a lot more work needs to be done as China carries out the Made in China 2025 strategy, which was launched in 2015 to upgrade the country’s manufacturing, especially in areas such as intelligent manufacturing and robotics.

“To carry out the strategy and speed up the country’s development, young Chinese skilled workers need to shoulder an even greater mission and the country needs more high-quality skilled talent,” he said.

“With the 44th WorldSkills Competition as a new starting point, let’s endeavor to make more contributions to the country’s development and honor the country.”

Song Biao from Changzhou Technician College in Jiangsu province, who joined the industrial mechanic millwright competition, was awarded the Albert Vidal Award for the highest score in the WorldSkills Competition.

“My parents and relatives repeated to me that you can have a promising future only if you make it into a university. After joining Changzhou Technician College, however, I found many of the senior students who graduated became accomplished with skills they learned there,” the 19-year-old said.

“I have learned that you can succeed if you can get brilliant skills,” he said, adding that he will continue to improve his skills to contribute to the country’s development.

Around 1,300 competitors participated in more than 50 events this year. China sent the largest-ever delegation — 52 members — ranging in age from 18 to 21. It was the first time that China participated in 18 of the events.

The WorldSkills Competition is held every two years and is the world’s biggest vocational education and skills excellence event.

China was also selected in Abu Dhabi on Oct 13 to host the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in 2021.