56th National Skills Competition Kicks Off in Nangang! Gold Medalist Returns to Mentor Next-Gen Talent as 60 Elite Competitors Vie for Top Honors

The 56th National Skills Competition will take place from July 29 to August 2 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, showcasing a grand gathering of over 1,000 elite contestants competing in 55 youth and 13 junior skill categories. The Ministry of Labor's Kaoping-Penghu-East Taiwan Branch of the Workforce Development Agency has trained 60 competitors across 16 categories and invited Lu Chen-Hsun, gold medalist in Plumbing and Heating at the 51st National Skills Competition, to return and pass on his expertise.

Lu Chen-Hsun, who won gold at the 51st National Skills Competition and earned accolades at the 47th WorldSkills Competition, once struggled with self-doubt. Under the dedicated mentorship of trainers Huang Chung-Hsing and Huang Po-Ying at the Kaoping-Penghu-East Taiwan Branch, he gradually developed both technical excellence and mental resilience.

This year, Lu returns to the branch as a senior mentor and teammate, personally coaching this year’s competitor, Li Sung-Yen. He provides precise guidance on construction details, competition strategies, and on-the-spot adaptability, while sharing his emotional regulation experiences to help ease the immense pressure on young competitors. Branch Director Kuo Cheng-Hua emphasized that the return of national athletes to mentor newcomers reflects the strong continuity of the training system, and the branch will continue deepening talent cultivation to nurture more globally competitive technical professionals.

The 56th National Skills Competition runs from July 29 to August 2 at the Nangang Exhibition Center, featuring 55 youth and 13 junior categories with over 1,000 contestants. The public is welcome to attend free of charge and explore interactive experience zones. For event details and schedules, visit the official Skills Competition website (https://skillsweek.wdasec.gov.tw) or follow the Facebook fan page '技能競賽充電讚' and Instagram account 'worldskillstw' for real-time updates and on-site promotions.