Participants of the WorldSkills 2024 International (Shenzhen) Invitational Competition listen to a speech during the competition's opening ceremony at the Shenzhen Institute of Technology in Longgang District on Thursday.
For 22-year-old Italian student Marino Doro, an industrial design major at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy, it is exciting for him to participate in an international competition in Shenzhen for the first time.
The WorldSkills 2024 International (Shenzhen) Invitational Competition is ongoing at the Shenzhen Institute of Technology in Longgang District. The opening ceremony took place Thursday.
Shenzhen organized this invitational competition as a prelude to the 47th WorldSkills Competition and in celebration of World Youth Skills Day on July 15 to provide young people with a platform to showcase their skills. The competition, which focuses on industrial design and cloud computing, has drawn over 50 experts and numerous competitors from 17 countries and regions, including Italy, Iran, South Korea, Russia, and Brazil.
"I'm truly excited to be part of this competition. It's a chance to interact with peers of my age and challenge myself to see where I can improve," said Doro, who aims to compete in the biennial WorldSkills Competition in 2026. "I've noticed participants not only working on design but also focusing on general ecological technology, an important aspect to consider in industrial design," he told Shenzhen Daily.
Emphasizing the importance of ecological considerations, Kuno Prey, Doro's teacher, said, "Design is not only about beauty. Designers must choose materials carefully for products, considering their life cycle. It's about sustainability and social responsibility. This event provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues and determine the future direction of our designs."
Chinese contestant Shi Junhao, a student from the Shenzhen Institute of Technology who is eager to compete with his international peers, is participating in this type of competition for the first time.
"We've had extensive hands-on training for this competition, such as honing our hand-painting skills," Shi said. "Being in Shenzhen, we've had the chance to admire award-winning designs like those recognized by the iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award, broadening our perspectives."
The 47th WorldSkills Competition is scheduled to take place in Lyon, France from Sept. 10 to 15. China will send 59 contestants, including four from Shenzhen, to compete in the competition, which is the world's largest, most prestigious vocational skills contest.