Sessions
The Conference will take place over three days alongside WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
- Early Bird rate ends: 30 April 2026
- Registration closes: 5 July 2026
Day 1
23 September 2026
10:00
Reception
Welcome coffee and check in
10:00 – 11:00
10:30
11:00
Opening ceremony and welcome speeches
11:30
Opening Plenary
Keynote speech
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
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
PISA-VET progress review and future plans: From framework to instrument development and implementation
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
PISA-VET project meeting
16:30 – 17:30
17:00
Day 2
24 September 2026
08:30
Check in and arrival coffee
08:30 – 09:00
09:00
Opening Plenary
Keynote
Digital and AIInnovation09:30
Panel discussion
Beyond the hype: 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
Youth10:00
10:30
Session break and mid-morning snack
10:30 – 11:00
11:00
Showcase
Skills CoLab
An interactive marketplace where innovative skills development projects connect with peers from around the world to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for collaboration.
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 TVETInnovationYouthRoundtable
Accelerating TVET/CTE Transformation: From Ideas to Action
A roundtable discussion by Salzburg Global.
Pitch
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
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
Panel 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 futureInclusionInnovationWorkshop
Towards a Global TVET Agenda
A presentation of the multi-lateral initiative.
International cooperationPanel 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 boxes
12:30 – 13:00
13:00
Transfers
13:00 – 13:30
13:30
Field Trips
Off-site industry or educational visits.
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