{
  "id": 9930392,
  "title": "Ignoring the noise: What it’s like competing at the ‘vocational skills Olympics’ in Shanghai",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/ignoring-the-noise-what-its-like-competing-at-the-vocational-skills",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T07:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/ignoring-the-noise-what-its-like-competing-at-the-vocational-skills-olympics-in-shanghai"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shanghai hosts the 48th WorldSkills competition, a global event showcasing vocational skills across various sectors. One thousand four hundred youth representing over seventy countries compete in sixty-four different skills, from transport and logistics to personal services. Competitors, aged between 16 and 25, undergo rigorous testing, often working for seven hours a day, under intense pressure and distractions.\n\nThe event is held in the National Exhibition and Convention Center, a scale that is similar to fifteen football fields. The venue features realistic sets of restaurants, hotel receptions, and clinic rooms where competitors demonstrate their skills.\n\nCybersecurity competitors, such as Shum Hoe Yeong and Eugene Yang, face off in a test that is as much a challenge as a competition. The questions are difficult, and competitors are expected to tune out the constant chatter from the audience.\n\nSingapore's participants, including Lim Jia Zhen and Aidan Wong, face unique challenges. Fashion technology competitor Lim Jia Zhen has to create a rare design on a sewing machine, while aircraft maintenance competitor Aidan Wong must repair a dent in a plane within seven hours. They must remain alert with limited breaks, relying on smaller meals and protein for concentration.\n\nDespite the pressure, many competitors, including Jia Zhen and Eugene, find the experience fulfilling and a chance to learn from the best. For Aidan, it's about the opportunity to learn from the best of each nation, rather than the medals.",
  "summary": "I have never seen anything like it.",
  "key_points": [
    "1,400 youth from over 70 countries compete in Shanghai's 48th WorldSkills event",
    "Competitors aged 16-25 work for seven hours daily under intense pressure",
    "Singapore's fashion technology and aircraft maintenance participants face unique challenges"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times",
        "title": "S’pore’s former WorldSkills winners fly to Shanghai to support competing juniors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/spores-former-worldskills-winners-fly-to-shanghai-to-support",
        "published": "2026-09-26T07:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}