There are more than 8,000 kilometers between them - the city of Wetter in the Ruhr area, where Maximlian Buerger comes from, and the two-meter-high plasterboard wall that he built in one of the exhibition halls in Shanghai.
“The biggest difficulty is the time, i.e. producing the structure in the specified ten hours,” says the 22-year-old plasterer. "And then of course you not only have to be finished, but it also has to fit: dimensions, angles, plumb line, alignment."
The competition has existed since 1950
Buerger is one of the 36 young Germans who took part in the “WorldSkills”. The World Skills Championship has been held in a different country every two years since 1950 - and this time it is in China.
1,400 skilled workers from almost 70 countries compete in classic trades such as carpentry, bricklayers or tilers and in modern technologies such as dental technology, digital media design, software testing or drone construction.
This is also why a special flight zone has been created in the Shanghai exhibition center - next to professional kitchens, hairdressing salons and optoelectronics laboratories for precision engineering.
Host China far ahead
The toughest competition comes from the host country China, which has been sending the most participants to the “WorldSkills” for years, says Buerger.
"I heard that they prepare for between three and five years, every day. And they put it together like an IKEA cupboard, that's crazy. They don't feel like they need to look at the plans anymore, it's all in their heads, that's crazy."
High demand for skilled workers
Young, well-trained specialists - the communist state and party leadership would like to have a lot more of them. According to the Ministry of Labor, the People's Republic lacks around 50 million of them, more than half of them in key areas.
"Linking industry and education is crucial," said Vice Minister of Education Wang Guangyan recently. "In this way, we can adapt talent development to the needs of the industry. In this way, we increase the quality of training and advance our development."
Germany's training system as a role model
This is one of the reasons why China has been trying for years to copy Germany's dual training system by supplementing practical teaching with theory teaching in vocational schools.
According to state media, China operates the largest vocational training network in the world, with 11,000 vocational schools alone. However, the major breakthrough of this educational concept has not yet occurred.
This is also because, unlike in Germany, small and medium-sized companies in China often lack the financial resources and ambition to invest in training young talent. There is also a lack of uniform learning standards that certify independent chambers of crafts, for example.
Strong focus on academic training
Perhaps most serious is the widespread opinion in China that the only true education is academic. "Concerns about the status of vocational training and career prospects have made it difficult to implement a training system like in Germany," says Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, one of China's most renowned education researchers. "In fact, to this day, vocational training is viewed as less valuable than academic education."
Partly because of this attitude, there were a record number of 12.7 million university graduates in China this year. But their chances in the midst of a weak economy and technological disruptions such as artificial intelligence are worse than before.
"The demand on the labor market consists of more than 70 percent of skilled workers and well-trained workers. If every student aims for a university degree, then there are simply not enough jobs for them," says education researcher Xiong Bingqi.
A total of 64 disciplines
In the exhibition center in Shanghai, their thoughts are further along. China is once again sending the largest delegation to the “WorldSkills” this year. Young talent from the People's Republic is competing in all 64 disciplines. China has won the most titles in each of the last four World Skills Championships.
This is also why plasterer Maximilian Buerger from the Ruhr area is skeptical about his chances of winning. It probably won't be enough for first place, "the others are too good for that." He hopes for a place in midfield. And China hopes to attract more skilled workers through vocational training.
