Abstract:

In the context of increasingly complex global vocational education and training, trainers are required to possess not only advanced technical expertise but also a range of generic and psychological skills. This study investigates the generic skills of vocational training experts participating in the 46th WorldSkills Competition, with a particular focus on psychological resilience and its relationship to competitive success. The WorldSkills Competition represents a high-pressure international environment in which experts play critical roles, including rule deliberation, evaluation design, and intensive pre-competition training and mentoring of competitors. Understanding the psychological attributes that support expert performance is therefore essential for improving vocational education systems worldwide. This research examined twelve WorldSkills experts using a resilience-focused questionnaire, the final competition scores of their competitors, and medal outcomes.

Two hypotheses were tested:
(1) that individual resilience factors of experts would be positively correlated with competitors’ performance scores, and
(2) that medal-winning experts would demonstrate higher overall resilience than non-medalists.

Analyses were conducted at both the factor level and the individual item level to identify specific psychological traits associated with elite performance. The results revealed no significant correlations between overall resilience factors and competition scores, nor significant differences in total resilience between medalists and non-medalists. However, item-level analyses uncovered several noteworthy relationships. Perceived physical strength, categorized under control ability, showed a strong positive correlation with competition scores, suggesting that physical endurance is a key component of expert resilience in demanding international competitions. In contrast, the item related to understanding others’ emotions demonstrated a negative correlation with performance, indicating that reduced emotional preoccupation with others may support more objective, task-focused decision-making. Additionally, medal-winning experts reported lower levels of self-perceived determination, implying that awareness of one’s limitations may foster adaptability, strategic flexibility, and effective problem-solving under pressure. These findings suggest that success among WorldSkills experts is associated not with generalized resilience, but with specific, actionable psychological traits. Emphasizing physical endurance, emotional autonomy, and realistic self-assessment may enhance expert effectiveness and, in turn, competitor performance. This study highlights the importance of developing evidence-based educational strategies to strengthen expert training within vocational education and competition contexts.

Keywords:

Vocational Training, Vocational education, Skill Development, Resilience, Generic skills