PH Bemedalled in Past WorldSkills Competitions
Shanghai, 13 October 2021 – Philippine Consulate General Economic Officer Consul Conrado Demdem, Jr. and Attaché Ronaldo Villanueva joined other Shanghai-based diplomats at the WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 Consulate Engagement Event hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government with China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security at the Shanghai Tower on 12 October.
The event was designed to brief foreign government representatives on the city’s preparations for its hosting of the 46th WorldSkills Competition (WSC 2022) a year from now, on 12-17 October 2022. The event was originally slated to be held this year, but for prevailing global pandemic-related travel restrictions. Among the speakers were Shanghai Vice Mayor and WorldSkills 2002 Organizing Committee Deputy Director Mr. PENG Chenlei, Human Resources and Social Security Vice Minister Mr. YOU Jin, and remotely, WSI President Chris Humphries and WSI CEO David Hoey.
The conference was followed by a guided tour of the Shanghai Nanhu Vocational and Technical College (SNVTC) in Hongkou, led by SNVTC Party Secretary Mme. LU Xiulan. The diplomats were treated to demonstrations of SNVTC students’ skills in cocktail preparation, fruit carving, coffee-making, and food presentation.
Touted as the “Olympics of WorldSkills” and dating back to 1950, the biennial WSC is the world’s highest-level vocational skills competition. The competition promotes global vocational education and training (VET) and is open to people 22 years or younger. Around 63 skills are on display cover spanning six main categories: Construction and Building Technology, Creative Arts and Fashion, Information and Communications Technology, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, Social and Personal Services, and Transportation and Logistics. The Shanghai WSC next will have the theme, “Master Skills Change the World”.
Consul Demdem used the occasion to meet Party Secretary LU and discuss with her the possibility of future collaboration between the SNVTC and the Philippines’ Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
The Philippines had participated, with much success, in past WSCs. It bagged two medals for excellence in Graphic Design and Technology and Automobile Technology WSC 2019 (45th WSC) in Kazan, Russia. At the 44th WSC in Abu Dhabi, the Philippines copped two medals for IT Software Solution for Business and Web Design Development. END
