Vocational skills put to the test

A Chinese delegation will be in Brazil to take part in a World Skills competition as the country bids to improve the ability of its skilled professionals.

China will send 32 members to the 43rd WorldSkills in São Paulo from August 11 to 16, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It will be the third time that the country has entered.

Zhang Lixin, head of the Professional Capacity Building Department under the ministry, said a good performance will boost vocational education and help the public recognize the value of skilled workers.

"The level of skills among workers in the country still cannot match economic volume, and that is why a majority of manufacturing companies are in the lower reaches of the world industry chain," he said.

Zhang added that the country has no cutting edge advantage in any of the competitive subjects but participation will help promote the attractiveness of skills.

He said translation will be a major problem for the Chinese competitors as tests will be conducted in English.

WorldSkills, the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world, is staged biennially.