Samsung champions young talent at WorldSkills Shanghai

Samsung Electronics served as the Overall Event Presenter (OEP), the highest sponsorship tier, at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, continuing its long-standing support for young skilled professionals worldwide, the company said Sunday.

The 48th WorldSkills Competition was held in Shanghai from Sept. 22 through Sunday.

Samsung has sponsored the WorldSkills Competition since 2007 and has participated as its Overall Event Presenter since 2013. The partnership reflects the company’s talent philosophy of supporting and developing young people not only in South Korea but around the world.

Of the six competition halls at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai, Hall 4 was designated Samsung Hall.

Major Chinese companies including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Ant Group also participated as sponsors, but Samsung Electronics was the only company to have a competition hall named after it.

Samsung Hall hosted competitions in fields including confectionery, baking, cooking and cloud computing. Samsung Electronics also operated a booth there showcasing its key products.

The display included the Galaxy Z Fold8, portable solid-state drives made with NAND flash produced at the company’s Xi’an plant and gaming monitors. Visitors could also try features available on Galaxy smartphones and Galaxy Watches.

“Samsung is seen among young Chinese people as a technologically advanced brand,” Zheng Tingting, a 26-year-old visitor, told Maeil Business at the booth. “South Korea’s strength in entertainment, including K-pop, also gives the brand a positive image among young women.”

Samsung Electronics has also operated Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, its global youth development program, since 2010.

The program encourages students to use their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, to address real-world challenges. By the end of 2025, more than 3.32 million students from 68 countries had participated.

Students form teams, identify problems facing their schools or local communities and propose solutions using STEM knowledge.

National winners advance through regional and global judging, with selected participants named global ambassadors. Recognition ceremonies have been held jointly with the International Olympic Committee during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The ambassadors are also set to receive follow-up mentoring from the IOC and Samsung Electronics.

In China, Samsung has operated STEM GIRLS since 2018. Modeled on Solve for Tomorrow, the program is designed for girls between the ages of 12 and 16.

More than 100,000 girls had applied for STEM GIRLS by the end of 2025, with about 9,500 taking part in its education and project activities. Participants came from 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China, as well as Hong Kong.