Five international volunteers from the United States, Vietnam, Croatia, Uganda, and Australia served at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.

WorldSkills International selected the five from 21 applicants worldwide. Three guided visitors and explained exhibits at the WorldSkills Expo, one helped organize volunteer activities at the Volunteers' Home, and one served as a technical assistant for skill competitions.

Tran Van Phu, a 23-year-old mechanical engineering senior from Ho Chi Minh City, chose to work at the China Pavilion, where he explained ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, the compass, and papermaking, and introduced international visitors to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and aerospace equipment.

Tran said his interest in vocational skills had prompted him to volunteer in China. He hoped to share his Shanghai story and his experience at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 with more people back home, believing that this would motivate his friends to learn vocational skills.

Katahdin Javner, a 24-year-old volunteer from the US who served at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, applied early, completed an online interview at 4 am in his home country, and secured a place in Shanghai.

Javner, who was born in Senegal, said China always goes all out when hosting events, and he knew Shanghai would deliver an excellent competition. He added that his parents provided medical relief to malnourished children and vocational training in woodworking for adults in Senegal, experiences that shaped his desire to share skills with others.

Javner, who mentors young people pursuing vocational skills in the US, said he wants more American students to know that the skills they are learning belong to the world and can take them to beautiful places beyond their own borders.

The five volunteers, representing five continents, dined together each evening to share their daily experiences, and Javner noted that the team was especially close.

The organizing committee arranged a tour of both banks of the Huangpu River on Sept 20 for the five international volunteers to experience Shanghai's urban development and traditional Chinese culture.

Su Yufeng, director of the Shanghai Project Hope and Youth Volunteer Guidance Center, said the international volunteers had learned about Shanghai's approaches to volunteer service while bringing valuable perspectives from their own experiences.

Source: Shanghai Observer