Women Power Takes Centre Stage at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026
Team India is being represented by 14 young women competitors across diverse skill categories at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, held from September 22-27, 2026. These women form part of India's 70-member contingent competing across 63 skills, representing more than one-fifth of the total team composition.
The women participants are competing across a broad spectrum of technical, specialized, creative, and service-oriented skills. The specific participants and their skill categories include: Sampada Desai in Chemical Laboratory Technology; Mehrunissa Begum in Logistics and Freight Forwarding; Anuja Ajay Vare in Visual Merchandising; Vidhi Niravkumar Suthar in Fashion Technology; Saniya Joshi in Retail Sales; Vishnupriya Sunil in Health and Social Care; Rashmeet Kaur Hanspal in Hotel Reception; Jhansirani Rout in Restaurant Service; Thanushree Magesh in Cooking; Muskan in Painting and Decorating; Jui Santosh Sapke in Hairdressing; T. Sabir Sutar in Beauty Therapy; Smriti Nambiar in Bakery; and Krishnanjali Sahoo in Patisserie and Confectionery.
Ms. Manisha Sensarma, Official Delegate for WorldSkills India and Senior Economic Adviser at the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, stated that this participation reflects an encouraging shift in India's skilling landscape. She emphasized that the diversity of skills—from chemical laboratory technology and logistics to visual merchandising, hospitality, beauty, and specialized crafts—reinforces the message that "skills have no gender." The Ministry's effort is to ensure young women have the opportunity, training, and confidence to choose careers based on aptitude and aspirations while competing at highest global standards.
All participants underwent intensive preparation and training ahead of the global competition to sharpen their technical capabilities and performance under exacting international standards. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship continues to encourage greater women participation in vocational education, apprenticeships, and industry-linked training while supporting wider occupational choices and pathways to sustainable livelihoods.