Malaysia leverages WorldSkills Shanghai to showcase talent and lure foreign investors

Malaysia is sending a delegation of 22 young competitors to the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, covering 21 skill disciplines among the 1,400 participants from roughly 70 countries. Deputy Works Minister Ahmad Maslan explained that the event serves as a stage to promote the nation’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training system and to convince foreign investors of the quality of Malaysian labour. He highlighted that investor confidence in skilled workers is key to attracting new industrial projects, and noted the role of AI and other emerging technologies in strengthening the TVET ecosystem.

The participation builds on recent successes, including 13 gold medals at the Manila WorldSkills 2025 and five golds at the Asian competition in Taiwan later that year. Maslan called for training institutes to nurture technopreneurs and add business modules so graduates can create their own enterprises. The Human Resources Ministry and Works Ministry are jointly managing the Malaysian team’s involvement.