A contestant makes preparation at the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's first Vocational Skills Competition will kick off in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Thursday.

Organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the three-day competition - from Thursday to Saturday - will cover 86 events including hairdressing, industrial control and nursing.

As of Wednesday, 36 delegations of the 2,557 competitors and 2,376 judges have registered for the competition, making it the nation's largest skills contest ever since the founding of the PRC.

According to a release by the ministry on Thursday, vocational school students take the majority of total competitors - up to 47 percent - while skilled workers, 261 in total from enterprises, account for 10 percent of the competitors.

Guests attend the press conference of the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

They are expected to showcase their skills and craftsmanship during the competition, which covers a variety of criteria including age.

The release said that the most senior competitor is 58 while the youngest one is only 16 years old. The average age of the competitors is around 21.8.

The gender of the competitors, however, is imbalanced. There are 2,118 male contenders, accounting for 83 percent of the total, while female contestants only make up 17 percent, about 439 individuals. Out of the total 86 events, 29 of them, including welding and aircraft maintenance, have all male competitors.

Chen Yiwei, director of Guangdong's bureau of human resources and social security, said at the news conference on Thursday in Guangzhou that the competition will vividly show the audience the booming manufacturing industry through their mature skills.

A contestant makes preparation at the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

"We also have events with a close connection to new professions such as cloud computing and the internet of things. For example, audience members can get to know the whole process of assembling a robot in the competition, experiencing the charm of high technology," he said.

Zhang Lixin, director of the ministry's Department of Vocational Capacity Building, said that the competition bears significant meaning for the nation's systems for training, evaluating and motivating skilled workers, and the competition offers a good platform to highly skilled workers to show their talent.

The biennial competition is scheduled to close on Sunday when Guangzhou will relay the competition flag to Tianjin, the host city for the next competition.

A volunteer displays the medals of the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

A contestant makes preparation at the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]

A contestant demonstrates tailoring techniques at the 1st Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Dec 9, 2020. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]