WorldSkills chief is city's 'top talent'

THE prestigious WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai in 2021 took a big step over the weekend.

Simon Bartley, president of the WorldSkills International, was presented with the foreign top talent confirmation letter, the city’s human resources and social security authority said. The letter, issued by the authority, allows foreigners to apply for the R visa reserved for top personnel and talent.

Bartley, who became the 100th recipient of the top talent letter, was praised for his support and guidance for the 46th WorldSkills Competition that Shanghai will host in 2021. He also serves as an honorary professor at Shanghai Publishing and Printing College.

The R visa allows its holders to stay in China for 180 days at a time and make multiple entries into the country for up to 10 years.

The R visa will make it easier for Bartley to come to Shanghai for research and develop the WorldSkills Competition, Bartley told the Shanghai Publishing and Printing College in an e-mail.

Shanghai tops the country on the number of top talent confirmation letters issued by it till the end of March. The 100 recipients are mainly professionals invited by universities, scientific research institutions and foreign-invested research and development centers.

Among the recipients are world-renowned award winners, orchestra principal conductor and directors of overseas national research institutes and laboratories.

“Today we issued our 100th top talent confirmation letter. Among the recipients are internationally well-known academicians and professors, research institute chiefs and executives of R&D centers,” said Huang Hong, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

“They will support the city’s efforts to become a center of science and innovation. Their visits and communication will also help Shanghai become a city of talent.”