Selected from over 130 applications received from across the globe, 30 innovative skills development initiatives will come together for the first edition of Skills CoLab. They span 21 countries and represent the full breadth of the skills development ecosystem, from Member-led initiatives driving national change to grassroots projects reimagining how skills are taught, assessed, and valued. The initiative aims to create direct opportunities for collaboration, cooperation and focused networking.
Skills CoLab is a key element of WorldSkills Conference 2026, which will take place from 23 to 25 September at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai, alongside the world’s largest stage for skills, WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
As one of the signature new formats of the Conference, the Skills CoLab will run across three sessions on 23 and 24 September. Delegates will move between project stations in focused 25-minute rounds of purposeful conversations with the teams behind each featured project.
The selected projects address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), reflecting that skills innovation is happening and that the people driving it are ready to connect, share, and collaborate.
Here are the projects joining Skills CoLab at WorldSkills Conference 2026:
- Simulation Centre– Agency of Skills for the Future, Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
- WorldSkills Barbados Future Skills Camp – Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council Barbados, Barbados
- Beyond the Podium – Futureworx and Skills Canada, Canada
- Physical AI and Digitalization for Smart Manufacturing – Festo, China
- Augmented Reality for Welding Education – Jiangsu Maritime Institute and Seabery Soluciones SL, China / Spain
- LLM in Smart Transportation Education – Fujian Chuanzheng Communications College, China
- DRESS UP & STAY HOME – NEXUS – International Mobility of the Pilsen Region, Czech Republic
- Skills Games 2027 – Skills Finland, Finland
- Private Sector-driven Hospitality Skills for Employment – Swisscontact (Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation), Georgia
- Towards a Global TVET Agenda (TGTA) – Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) | Germany
- BQ-Portal – Global VET Transparency Database – German Economic Institute (on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Germany
- ACTIVATE – Accelerating Change Through Innovation in Agricultural TVET – WUSC / Mastercard Foundation, Ghana
- AgriDrone – MeOut Group, Hungary
- Digital Mental Readiness Assessment Platform – WorldSkills Hungary / Y2Y Ltd., Hungary
- Bridging Higher Education, Industry & Workforce – Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU), Pune, India
- FutureSkills Prime – Nasscom / Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), India
- Skill on Wheels – Rubber, Chemical & Polymer Skill Development Council, India
- The Programme of Three Classrooms – Group of Companies DOSTI LLP, Kazakhstan
- Green Jobs for Kenyan Youth – CLASP, Kenya
- Coaching Cycle for Employment & Entrepreneurship (C4EE) – Swisscontact / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Laos
- AI WIM for TVET – Centre for Instructor and Advanced Skill Training, Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia
- AI for TVET Quality Systems – Solutionary, New Zealand
- AkoVoice – Open Voice Assessment – Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, New Zealand
- EcoPatch Circular Textile Hub – Grandstyles Image, Nigeria
- Revitalization of Ajrak with Natural Dyes – Sindh Indigenous Traditional Crafts Company (SITCO), Pakistan
- Green Skills in the Desert – NEOM Talent Academy, Saudi Arabia
- E2E – From Education to Employment / SkillCompass – NIRAS International Consulting, Serbia / Switzerland
- Degree Apprenticeship Sustainability Projects – University of Exeter, United Kingdom
- Play Your Way Into Career – Estuary Academy (Career Education and Experience Design), United Kingdom
- Skills Without Borders – ETS / TOEIC, United States of America
For more details on each of the selected projects, explore the Skills CoLab site.
The Skills CoLab is available exclusively to Conference delegates. Register for WorldSkills Conference 2026 before 5 July to connect with the world’s most innovative skills development projects.