The global shortage of skilled workers was a recurring theme at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, where more than 1,400 young professionals from 68 countries and regions competed across 64 skills. The six-day event ran from September 22 to 27 in Shanghai.
LIXIL, a global industry partner of WorldSkills International, sponsored the Plumbing and Heating competition and supplied GROHE fittings and fixtures for the event. The equipment gave competitors the opportunity to work with modern bathroom systems while being assessed on precision, practical problem-solving, efficiency and technical knowledge.
The competition also provided a snapshot of the skills needed to build and maintain increasingly complex water and sanitation infrastructure.
Erin McCusker, LIXIL's chief impact officer, said the shortage of skilled labour was becoming a direct risk to businesses and the wider sector.
“Without a network of professionals to implement these modern systems at scale, we cannot advance our Impact Strategy goals in water conservation or global sanitation and hygiene,” McCusker said.
She said investment in vocational training was needed to strengthen the pipeline of workers able to install and maintain modern water and sanitation systems, while also opening the trades to a wider range of potential entrants.
The scale of the challenge varies between markets. Europe is estimated to need 3 million additional trained workers by 2030 to meet climate and renovation targets, while Germany could face a shortage of 60,000 plumbers by 2030. China, meanwhile, has set a target of providing skills training to more than 30 million people by 2027 in response to growing demand for workers in manufacturing and other technical sectors.
WorldSkills International chief executive David Hoey said partnerships with companies such as LIXIL and its GROHE brand helped give young tradespeople access to professional equipment and an international platform on which to test their skills.
The next WorldSkills competition will be held in Aichi, Japan, in November 2028, with WorldSkills Japan and Japanese industry and government partners preparing to host the event.
LIXIL's support for vocational training extends beyond WorldSkills. In Europe, the GROHE Installer Vocational Training and Education (GIVE) programme works with more than 70 institutions and trains more than 2,500 students each year. The programme provides training facilities, equipment and teaching materials designed to give students practical experience of the plumbing trade.
In the US, LIXIL's TradeUp programme provides educational resources and support to instructors and students, with the aim of encouraging more people to enter the plumbing profession.
At Shanghai, Matthias Steiner won gold in the Plumbing and Heating competition. Yuhao Fu was the winner in Wall and Floor Tiling, while Japan's Hayato Ikari represented the country in the same discipline.
The results offered a reminder that vocational skills are closely tied to the infrastructure on which communities depend, from plumbing and sanitation to housing and energy-efficient buildings.
The handover of the WorldSkills flag to Japan marked the start of preparations for the next competition in Aichi.
For LIXIL, the event has a particular connection to the company's history. Aichi is home to Tokoname, where its founding brand, INAX, began producing ceramic tiles and terracotta in 1924.
LIXIL said it would continue supporting vocational education and skilled trades as part of its broader efforts to address workforce shortages and meet the demands of future infrastructure and sustainability projects.