Team UK flies the flag as WorldSkills Shanghai officially opens

Li Qiang, premier of China’s State Council, has declared the 48th WorldSkills competition officially open at a high-energy opening ceremony in Shanghai.

Twenty-eight young people representing the UK paraded through the arena, led by flagbearer and aircraft maintenance competitor Elyot Harmston.

Four days of competition begin tomorrow morning.

Earlier today, Harmston told FE Week that Team UK was “feeling positive about the coming days”.

This year’s competition features more than 1,400 competitors representing 68 countries and regions.

Each team entered to roars of applause from thousands of supporters gathered at the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Centre.

From tomorrow, each competitor will be tested and judged in one of 64 skills, ranging from bricklaying to hairdressing, cyber security to restaurant service.

Medals on Sunday

Their performance over the next four days will be watched closely by judges, with the highest-scoring competitors in each skill earning gold, silver or bronze medals. The results will be revealed at the competition’s closing ceremony on Sunday, 27 September.

Competitors who score enough points to demonstrate an international standard of excellence will be awarded a medal of excellence.

At the last WorldSkills competition, in Lyon, France, in 2024, Team UK won three silver medals, one bronze and 12 medals of excellence.

Minister on her feet

All 68 teams completed the parade of nations, with Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, and Susan Acland-Hood, permanent secretary at the Department for Education (DfE), spotted on their feet when Team UK passed.

Guests at the ceremony included Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister of Malaysia, and Francis Hourant, president of WorldSkills International.

The parade was followed by dance and acrobatic performances representing the emergence of key skills in Chinese history, including woodwork, textiles, the age of steel and the age of information.

The competition’s slogan is “Master Skills, Change Your Future”.

Performances culminated in what organisers said was the world’s first dance performance between humans and humanoid robots.

A competitor and an expert then gave the WorldSkills oaths, promising to compete and officiate fairly and respect the codes of ethics and conduct.

‘The age of AI’

In a congratulatory message read at the ceremony by Shen Yiqin, a state councillor, president Xi Jinping said:

“Today, the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing at a faster pace and bringing profound influence to global skills development.

“The WorldSkills competition closely aligns with industrial development and serves as a good platform for skills excellence and mutual learning.

“China will take this session as an opportunity to encourage and guide more workers, especially young people, to pursue a path to success through skills.

“China will deepen exchanges and cooperation with other countries to promote the WorldSkills movement and better serve global economic growth and livelihood improvement.

“I wish this session a full success.”

Hourant acknowledged the competitors’ families, teachers and industry partners who “stand with them”.

He added: “Together we are building more than a movement. We are shaping systems that build better futures. Education that turns a young person’s talent into direction and a nation’s ambition into reality.

“We stand at the edge of a new industrial revolution. The age of AI. The smarter machines become, the more human we must be. Creative. Resilient. Brave. The world’s most pressing challenges will be solved by skilled hands.”