The detailed programme of WorldSkills Conference 2026 has been revealed, promising three days of meaningful conversations around the future of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The event will bring together global industry leaders, ministers, policymakers, and skills development pioneers at the largest international gathering on skills this year, taking place from 23 to 25 September 2026 alongside the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China.
Under the title “Shaping a skills-driven future”, the Conference programme stands on three main pillars guiding the sessions over three days: inclusion, innovation, and international cooperation. Skills are the currency of the future economy. Equitable access transforms lives, creates pathways to prosperity, and gives young people dignity and purpose. The programme connects people, policy, and progress around one shared conviction: collaboration across borders is the only way to equip people with the skills needed for a sustainable and inclusive future.
Here are some of the programme highlights for WorldSkills Conference 2026.
23 September
Featuring senior Chinese and international leaders, the opening panel will set the scene for the Conference as a whole, opening the broader conversation about what a skills-driven future looks like in practice, and what governments, institutions, and industries must do together to make it a reality. Among the panellists will be the Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, Mario Nava, alongside WorldSkills Global Partners Neutech and FESTO, represented by Wen Tao and Sebastian Beck respectively.
Day 1 will also feature James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science of Ireland and Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information of Jamaica, who will lead sessions exploring inclusive excellence in TVET, best practice in Public-Private Partnerships, and skills recognition and mobility respectively. Together with representatives from UNESCO, UNIDO, the ILO, the OECD, the World Bank Group, and other international organizations, they reflect the Conference’s commitment to bringing government and institutional leadership into direct conversation with the skills sector.
24 September
With a strong focus on innovation, the second day of the Conference will open with a keynote by Christopher J. Nelson, President and CEO of DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand. Drawing on the company’s recent research into the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the trades, the keynote will lead into the session “Beyond the hype: AI’s real impact on tomorrow’s workforce.” With a senior industry panel to examine how AI is transforming workforce development, the plenary will feature Yi Guo, Vice President of BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Asia Pacific; Dion Smith, EVP Global Partner Ecosystem at Siemens; Oliver Niese, Head of Digital Business and Board Member at Festo Didactic; and Bettina Schaller, Senior Vice President and Head of Group Public Affairs at The Adecco Group and President of the World Employment Confederation.
Other sessions on this day will focus on Africa’s skills landscape, data-driven approaches to TVET development, and how WorldSkills Vision 2035 can support long-term impact and systemic change. The Shanghai skills development forum will showcase local innovative approaches to skills development, rounding out the programme of day 2.
25 September
The final day of WorldSkills Conference 2026 will focus on the outcomes of the Conference discussions and look towards uniting the global skills movement behind a stronger role for skills in the post-2030 agenda. Central to this closing day will be a session on Towards a Global TVET Agenda (TGTA), an international initiative strengthening cooperation in skills and TVET policy worldwide. Initiated and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), the TGTA unites four leading international organizations – UNESCO-UNEVOC, the ILO, the OECD, and the European Training Foundation.
In the interactive session “Towards a Global TVET Agenda,” they will share how coordinated global action can make skills a first-choice pathway for individuals and a driver of resilient, inclusive economies.
The Closing Plenary, “How to shape a skills-driven future in the post-2030 agenda,” will convene government leaders, international organizations, and industry representatives to move from insight to commitment, asking what three days of conversation reveal about where consensus is forming, where gaps remain, and what concrete steps must be taken to place skills and TVET at the heart of the global development agenda beyond 2030.
Youth voices will be central throughout the three days, with WorldSkills Champions Trust representatives speaking, moderating, and posing thought-provoking questions across sessions to ensure the perspectives of young people shape global skills solutions.
Access the full programme and explore the full list of sessions, speakers, and learn more about the new Skills CoLab, and field trips to local industry training institutions.