Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the 48th WorldSkills Competition (WSC2026) in Shanghai. Having previously attended WSC2024 in Lyon, France, this was my second WorldSkills experience. The competition brings together the world’s best young skilled professionals, mostly under the age of 23, to compete in more than 60 different skill categories. Competitors earn their place through local and national competitions, with each country selecting its top representative for the global event, which is held every two years. The Shanghai event brought together around 1,400 competitors from 68 countries, competing across 64 different skill categories.
Since WorldSkills 2024, the test projects for Skill 39 – IT Network Systems Administration have been developed by the Independent Test Project Designers (ITPD). Skill 39 consists of four modules: Linux, Windows, Network, and Troubleshooting. As part of the ITPD team, we volunteer our time to design and develop these test projects and remain available throughout the competition week to support their delivery. Pictured below are the Skill 39 ITPDs alongside the Skill Competition Manager (SCM). A special thanks to Bai Qing, who introduced me to the ITPD program and sponsored my trip to this event. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute and to work alongside such a talented international team.
I designed Module C, the Networking test project, using Cisco CML. Here is a glimpse of how that day unfolded.
One highlight was reconnecting with colleagues and friends I’ve worked with over the years through WorldSkills.
What makes WorldSkills special is the people behind the competition. Over the week, I had the opportunity to sit down with few experts from across the globe and hear their perspectives on developing the next generation of network engineers.
After four days of intense competition, Skill 39 concluded with outstanding performances from competitors around the world. Congratulations to all participants who demonstrated world-class networking, systems administration, and troubleshooting skills. Here is the Medal winners of Skill39.
You can check the results of all skills using this link.
Although it was a busy and exhausting week, I managed to find some time to explore Shanghai, reconnect with colleagues from SE360, and meet some of Bai Qing’s friends.
With WorldSkills 2028 heading to Aichi, Japan, it was a pleasure to meet the Skill 39 Workshop Manager, who joined us in Shanghai as an observer. I’m already looking forward to seeing the journey continue in Japan in two years.
If you haven’t heard of WorldSkills, I highly encourage you to explore their website and spread the word among your children and the younger generation. You never know, they may have the talent and passion for the skills that will drive the future of our industry and the world around us.
