Sessions
The Conference will take place over three days alongside WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Day 1
23 September 2026
10:00
Reception
Welcome coffee and check in
10:00 – 11:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
Fireside talk
The Future will be built by the skilled trades
A keynote on why the skilled trades, not technology alone, will shape the future — with Chris Nelson, President & CEO, Stanley Black & Decker.
12:00
Opening Plenary
Innovation ecosystems for TVET: Building human-centred sustainable skills Systems
Featuring senior Chinese and global leaders, the opening panel launches WorldSkills Conference 2026 with a forward-looking conversation on how international collaboration in education and training can power innovation, inclusion, and solutions to the world’s shared challenges.
Inclusion
Innovation
International cooperation12:30
13:00
Networking lunch
13:00 – 14:00
13:30
14:00
Showcase
Skills CoLab I
An interactive marketplace where innovative skills development projects connect with peers from around the world to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for collaboration.
InnovationInternational cooperationPanel discussion
Industry as a partner: Public-private partnerships for better skills development
Showcasing successful public-private partnerships models and examples in TVET.
IndustryInnovation
Policy dialoguePanel discussion
Excellence for all: building more inclusive TVET systems
This session will examine how TVET systems can deliver excellence with equity, ensuring that high-quality skills development is accessible to all learners, particularly those facing structural disadvantage.
Excellence in TVETInclusionPanel discussion
Beyond borders: Advancing frameworks for skills recognition
This session will examine how skills recognition frameworks can support cross-border mobility, lifelong learning, and labour-market relevance.
Excellence in TVETInternational cooperationPolicy dialogue14:30
15:00
Afternoon coffee break / snack
15:15 – 15:30
15:30
Skills for the future of work: Scaling impact through partnerships in ai-driven economies with UNESCO Global Skills Academy (GSA)
A follow-up session exploring how the UNESCO Global Skills Academy can move from awareness to action — scaling digital, green, and AI-related learning opportunities through partnerships that connect global skills programmes with national priorities.
Showcase
Skills CoLab II
Meet innovative skills development projects from around the world and explore opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
InnovationInternational cooperationPanel discussion
PISA-VET and the future of vocational skills
Excellence in TVETInternational cooperationRoundtable
Unlocking investment: innovative financing strategies for TVET
A roundtable exploring different financing mechanisms that mobilize resources, engage the private sector, and make training more responsive to industrial demand.
IndustryInnovation16:00
16:30
17:00
Day 2
24 September 2026
08:30
Check in and arrival coffee
08:30 – 09:00
09:00
Panel discussion
Ready or not? AI’s real impact on tomorrow’s workforce
Moving past buzzwords and speculation, this panel delivers concrete insights into how AI is transforming workforce development within innovation ecosystems.
Digital and AIInnovation
Youth09:30
10:00
10:30
Session break and mid-morning snack
10:30 – 11:00
11:00
Showcase
Skills CoLab III
Meet innovative skills development projects from around the world and explore opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
InnovationInternational cooperationShowcase
Data-driven approaches to TVET development
A focused look at data-driven initiatives supporting evidence-based policy and practice in TVET and skills development, delivered in a flexible, short-format session.
Competitions of the futureInnovationExpert Input
AI, skills, and the future of TVET
How artificial intelligence is influencing skills, systems, and the future of TVET.
Digital and AI11:30
Skills assessment using AI
How AI could reshape how skills are assessed, recognised, and validated in TVET.
Digital and AI12:00
12:30
Networking Lunch
12:30 – 13:30
13:00
13:30
Shanghai Skills Development Forum
A thematic session on Shanghai’s vocational skills ecosystem, featuring expert roundtables, industry-education dialogue, and an award ceremony honouring outstanding skilled craftsmen.
Excellence in TVETInnovationYouthPanel discussion
WorldSkills Vision 2035
WorldSkills’ blueprint for the next decade, setting out a shared strategy to position the WorldSkills community to meet future challenges.
Competitions of the futureInclusionInnovationPitch
BeChangeMaker 2026 Pitch Finale
The top 5 finalist in our social entrepreneurship programme will deliver their final pitch.
InnovationYouthShowcase
Africa’s skills landscape: current practice and future directions
How skills development is taking shape across Africa, drawing on successful experiences, approaches and partnerships.
International cooperation14:00
14:30
Afternoon coffee break / snack
14:45 – 15:15
15:00
TVET as driver of social and economic progress – The role of green and digital skills
Exploring how green and digital skills development through TVET is driving real transformation in education and economies.
Competition Tour
Guided tour of WorldSkills Competition venue.
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
Day 3
25 September 2026
09:00
Check in
09:00 – 09:30
09:30
Panel discussion
High-level Keynote / Energizer
10:00
Roundtable
Accelerating TVET/CTE Transformation: From Ideas to Action
A roundtable discussion by Salzburg Global.
Workshop
Towards a global TVET agenda
A presentation of the multi-lateral initiative.
Excellence in TVETInnovationInternational cooperationPolicy dialoguePanel discussion
TVET and the green transition: Building policy coherence around skill demand
Addressing policy fragmentation across education, labour, industry and environment sectors in green skills development.
Greening and sustainabilityInternational cooperationPolicy dialogue10:30
11:00
Mid-morning break and snack
11:15 – 11:30
11:30
Closing Plenary
How to shape a skills-driven future in the post-2030 agenda
Global leaders come together in this closing panel to set a shared direction for a skills-driven future and the role of TVET beyond 2030.
InclusionIndustryInnovationInternational cooperationYouth12:00
12:30
Departure / lunch
12:30 – 13:00
13:00
Transfers
13:00 – 13:30
13:30
Field Trips
Off-site industry or educational visits.
- Route A: SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle Company Anting Base
- Route B: China Eastern Airlines Technology Research and Development Centre
- Route C: Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Longyang Training base.
- Route D: Shanghai Nanhu Vocational and Technical College
14:00
14:30
15:00
Transfers
15:00 – 16:00
15:30
16:00
WorldSkills Museum
Visit to WorldSkills Museum.
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
Reception