With the blue sky as a backdrop and the vast airspace as the stage, several drones painted colorful smoke trails across the sky, drawing gasps from onlookers as a combat-focused, real-skill aerial contest kicked off. On September 15, the second Rugao City Worker Drone Operation Skills Competition and Aerial Performance, co-hosted by the Rugao Federation of Trade Unions, the Rugao Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, and Fugao Wantai Group Co., Ltd., came to a close. Drone operators from various industries across the city gathered to compete, honing their craft in practical challenges and bringing the skilled talent behind the low-altitude economy into the spotlight. After intense rounds, the competition awarded overall prizes as well as first, second, and third place honors in three individual events: beyond-visual-line-of-sight reconnaissance, fixed-point dropping, and obstacle-course flight.
In recent years, the Rugao Federation of Trade Unions has deepened reforms in the construction of the industrial workforce, closely aligning with the city's port-driven development strategy. It has made worker skills competitions a key tool for serving both development and employees. Building on a competition-based foundation, the federation collaborates with various government departments each year to host around 30 city-level events, actively creating platforms for on-the-job training, technical contests, and skills showcases. As a result, a large number of skilled professionals have emerged and demonstrated their talents on competitive stages. The competitions cover traditional trades such as electricians, fitters, and welders, while also innovating contest categories to align with emerging industries like the marine economy and the low-altitude economy.
Adopting a competition-to-innovation approach, the federation guides workers to keep pace with technological trends, delve into new technologies, and master new capabilities. Over the past three years, 12 frontline workers have won awards in mass innovation and creation contests, allowing them to shine in the field of technological innovation. In April, the "Kechuang Tou Cup" Rugao Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Competition attracted 18 sci-tech enterprises specializing in AI fields such as intelligent manufacturing equipment, industrial robots, and industrial vision inspection. After rigorous qualification reviews and preliminary project evaluations, 10 high-quality projects advanced to the finals for fierce competition. These projects closely match Rugao's industrial development reality, demonstrating strong feasibility and high compatibility with local application scenarios.
In June, the first Rugao "Port-Driven City" Worker Skills Competition was held at Suzhong International Container Terminal Co., Ltd. Tailored to actual port operations, the contest featured three hands-on events: portal crane load positioning, wheel brake cylinder disassembly and assembly, and forklift loading and unloading operations, comprehensively covering core roles such as port handling, equipment operation, and machinery maintenance. This competition served not only as a specialized, precise, and distinctive skills drill for port industry workers but also as a concentrated showcase of their spirit and vigor.
Using the competitions as a bridge, Rugao has organized enterprise matchmaking sessions to promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence technology with the real economy, key industries, and tech-finance. Adopting a competition-to-talent approach, the city identifies and cultivates a batch of highly skilled professionals through these events, targeting them as candidates for "May Day" craftsman training programs. Since last year, with competition champions as training objectives, Rugao has cultivated two Jiangsu Province "May Day" craftsman trainees and ten Jianghai "May Day" craftsman trainees, fostering a spirit of craftsmanship characterized by excellence and bold innovation among the city's industrial workers.
Skills fulfill dreams, and labor creates the future. Xu Meng, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Rugao Federation of Trade Unions, stated that the federation will further guide the city's workers to deepen their mastery of new technologies and refine their new capabilities, building a strong talent pool and injecting sustained momentum into Rugao's high-quality economic development, while contributing more wisdom and strength to the comprehensive advancement of Chinese-style modernization in Rugao.