Team UK wins gold medals at international skills competition
An aircraft maintenance engineer, a lab technician and the coolest refrigeration expert are among 21 UK medallists that won various medals at the WorldSkills competition in China.
Team UK, made up of the nation’s brightest young apprentices and professionals, picked up two golds, one silver and three bronze medals at the ‘skills Olympics’ in Shanghai.
Gold medals went to Ruth Douglas, 21, from Banbridge, Northern Ireland, who works at Almac and attends Southern Regional College, and Samuel Jones, 21, from Ashton, who works for Industrial Cooling Equipment Ltd and attends PRTC, Burnley. A silver medal went to Elyot Harmston, 23 from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, who works for the Shuttleworth Collection maintaining historic aircraft.
A further 13 medals were awarded to the UK, recognising the team’s excellence. The UK team won medals in 19 of the 25 skills categories it competed in. This is the strongest Team UK performance since 2017, when the event was held in Abu Dhabi.
The WorldSkills Finals, the world’s biggest and most prestigious skills competition, drew to a close on September 27th, with a spectacular closing ceremony in a packed arena.
Ben Blackledge, CEO of WorldSkills UK said: “This is a terrific set of results which everyone in the UK should be proud of. Each and every one of the team has put in a phenomenal effort – not just this week, but the three years that they have been in the process, competing, learning and evolving their skills throughout the process.
“Being part of this amazing international skills movement gives us the knowledge and expertise to help thousands of young learners across the UK prepare for the world of work.
“WorldSkills UK is liaising with the Government and the Milburn Commission about ensuring that more young people can benefit from involvement in WorldSkills UK’s competitions, locally, regionally and nationally to help tackle the rising number of NEETs.”
The organisation is developing a programme to bring skills competitions into classrooms and colleges across the country. It is also in conversation with the government and the Milburn Commission about how they can bring down the number of young NEETs (not in education, employment or training).
WorldSkills UK, is a partly government funded charity that helps young people from all backgrounds develop the skills they need to thrive in work, at a time when too many young people are struggling to land their first job and employers are experiencing financial challenges and shortages of skilled applicants.
Minister for Skills, Baroness Jacqui Smith, who flew to China to cheer on the team, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of Team UK – they have all worked so hard and been brilliant, just to get here. My message to team UK is we already know that you are brilliant now's your opportunity to show the world.”
Freya Thomas Monk, managing director of Vocational Qualifications and Training at Pearson, said: "A huge congratulations to Team UK on their impressive performance at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. It's been inspiring to see such talent, dedication, and determination on display against the very best in the world.
“Every competitor has shown what young people can achieve when talent is nurtured, skills are honed, and ambition is encouraged. What we've seen from Team UK this week is a testament not only to the hard work and commitment of the competitors themselves, but also to the educators and employers who have supported them along the way.”
This article is produced by SWNS based on content distributed by GlobeNewswire.