WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base established in Hengqin

On May 6th, the "WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base" was officially unveiled and established in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, providing a new platform to foster skilled talents for Guangdong and Macao.

During the event, the four collaborating units, i.e. the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao SAR, Macao University of Tourism, the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the cooperation zone, and the Pullman Hotel in Zhuhai's Hengqin, signed a cooperation framework agreement on the establishment of the WorldSkills Macao Comprehensive Training Base.

The Base will pilot the two WorldSkills competition projects of "Restaurant Service" and "Hotel Reception" to provide a new platform for skilled talents from Macao and the Chinese mainland to compete and enhance their skills.

WorldSkills is the world's largest, most prestigious and most influential vocational skills competition. Both the Chinese mainland and Macao are members of the WorldSkills organization and participate in the competition as members. The Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao SAR has continuously organized young talents to participate in the competition, bagging one gold, three silver, and three bronze medals in previous editions. In September 2024, the Bureau will lead a total of 21 competitors to participate in the 47th WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France.

The event also witnessed the launch ceremony of the 2024 Zhuhai-Macao-Hengqin Vocational Skills Competition and the "Shenhe Cup" Vocational Skills Competition. Jointly organized by the Zhuhai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao SAR, and the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the cooperation zone, the competition aims to promote the coordinated development of vocational skills training in both regions.

This competition is expected to be more open, higher-profile, and larger-scale compared to previous editions. The competition projects will be openly solicited from Zhuhai, Macao, and the cooperation zone. Any social organizations, enterprises and institutions, vocational (technical) colleges, universities, and other units with the willingness and conditions to host the competition can apply. About 10 projects are expected to be selected.

At the event, the Zhuhai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macao SAR, and the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the cooperation zone signed a cooperation framework agreement on vocational skills qualification recognition in Zhuhai, Macao, and Hengqin.

The event included a ceremony to issue appointment certificates for "Greater Bay Area Workplace Mentors", with five Macao residents with mainland workplace experience and life experiences receiving the certificates. It is reported that the "Greater Bay Area Workplace Mentor Plan" was jointly initiated by the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the cooperation zone and the Macao University of Tourism. The five workplace mentors appointed this time will serve a three-year term, providing career development guidance, internships, job recommendations, and entrepreneurial consulting services to Hong Kong and Macao youth seeking employment and entrepreneurship in the Cooperation Zone.

The event also featured a forum, inviting six industry experts from Guangdong and Macao to exchange ideas and share their experiences in cultivating WorldSkills competitors and empowering new quality productive forces through cooperation between Guangdong and Macao skilled talents.