IPC Standards Support Professional Assessment for the Electronics Competition at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

The 48th WorldSkills Competition was held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27, concluding on September 27. According to the official competition results, Wu Tong of China won the gold medal in the Electronics competition, marking China’s fourth consecutive gold medal in this category.

During the competition, relevant IPC electronics assembly standards were applied to competition activities including assembly and testing, circuit modification, and repair quality assessment. The standards provided technical references for quality evaluation and helped ensure consistency in assessment criteria. Mr. Jack Shi, IPC Master Trainer, was invited to serve as an Independent Assessor for the Electronics competition. He participated in the assessment process and provided training on assessment criteria for experts from multiple countries and regions.

IPC Standards Provide a Technical Basis for Skills Assessment

The Electronics competition covers areas including circuit hardware design, assembly and testing, embedded systems programming, and circuit modification and repair, requiring a high level of consistency in process quality assessment and scoring.

IPC-A-610J, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, and IPC-7711/7721D, Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies, specify technical requirements for electronic assembly acceptability, as well as rework, modification, and repair. These standards provided a professional technical basis for skills assessment in the relevant competition activities.

Prior to the competition, Mr. Jack Shi used the requirements outlined in the *Standards and Assessment Guide – Electronics* for assembly and testing, as well as modification and repair quality, together with relevant IPC standards, to provide training for Electronics competition experts from more than 20 countries and regions, including China, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Austria, Brazil, and Switzerland. The training focused on assembly quality assessment, repair quality evaluation, and consistency in scoring criteria.

During the competition, Mr. Jack Shi participated in the assessment of assembly and testing, circuit modification and repair quality, and other related areas based on the competition’s technical documentation and relevant IPC standards. He also contributed to the post-competition technical review.

Through standards training and on-site assessment, relevant IPC standards were further translated into practical technical criteria for competition evaluation, supporting experts from different countries and regions in applying consistent quality assessment criteria.

From Competition Preparation to Formal Assessment

During the preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, IPC-A-610 and IPC-7711/7721 were also applied in the China National Training Team’s centralized assessment and test competition, as well as the International Invitational Competition for the Electronics category.

Through standards training, scoring, and technical support, these standards provided quality assessment criteria for competition activities including assembly, testing, modification, and repair, while also building practical experience for standardized assessment during the official competition.

Connecting Skills Assessment with Industry Practice

For the electronics manufacturing industry, skills such as soldering, assembly, rework, modification, and repair ultimately need to meet product quality and process requirements. Applying established industry standards to skills assessment can help further connect skills requirements with real-world manufacturing practices.

Sydney Xiao, president of Global Electronics Association East Asia, said, "The development of highly skilled professionals requires close alignment with the evolving needs of the industry. The application of IPC standards in the Electronics competition at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 not only provides a consistent technical reference for professional skills assessment, but also further demonstrates the value of industry standards in connecting skills development with real-world industry practice.”