WORLDSKILLS HUB

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

The Countdown begins

Welcome to FE Week’s WorldSkills Shanghai hub, your home for the latest news and developents in preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.

Countdown to opening ceremony

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

WorldSkills Shanghai

Welcome to FE Week’s WorldSkills Shanghai hub, your home for everything related to Team UK’s journey to the world’s biggest skills competition.

With the countdown now underway to WorldSkills 2026 this September, we’ll be bringing you the latest news, insights and behind-the-scenes coverage as the UK’s top young talent prepare to compete on the global stage.

Follow Team UK from training through to competition, with on-the-ground reporting from Shanghai, including daily updates, results and stories from across the event.

Latest news

WorldSkills

Revealed: 3 London colleges chosen to host WorldSkills UK national finals 2027

Read article

Meet Team UK

A team of 28 talented young professionals have been selected to represent the UK at WorldSkills Shanghai this year.

The group of apprentices and students will travel to China this September to compete in the “skills Olympics”, in 25 disciplines including bricklaying, car painting and beauty therapy.

Team UK will go head-to-head against thousands of the best and brightest counterparts from over 80 countries to win gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Logan Cook

Hometown: Newport, Wales. Training provider: Coleg Gwent.

3D Digital Game Art

Oliver Coombs

Hometown: Bath. Training provider: Bath College.

Additive Manufacturing

Elyot

Hometown: Bedfordshire. Employer: The Shuttleworth Collection.

Aircraft Maintenance

Joe Wilton

Hometown: Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Training Provider: Riverpark Training. Employer: SDM Paintwork.

Autobody Repair

Neve Dunn

Hometown: South Shields. Training Provider: Tyne Coast College. Employer: Crown Hair & Beauty.

Beauty Therapy

Joseph Shingler

Hometown: Shrewsbury. Training Provider: Shrewsbury College. Employer: Shingler Group.

Bricklaying

Stanley Mackintosh

Hometown: Norwich. Training provider: Rycotewood College. Employer: Bill Cleyndert and Company.

Cabinet Making

Oisin McKerr

Hometown: Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Southern Regional College. Employer: Porters Body Shop.

Car Painting

Ruth Douglas

Hometown: Banbridge, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Southern Regional College. Employer: Almac.

Chemical Laboratory Technician

Tomas Ankers

Hometown: Wrexham, Wales. Training provider: Coleg Cambria. Employer: Electroimpact.

CNC Milling

Jonathan Gough

Hometown: Waringstown, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Southern Regional College. Employer: Self-Employed.

Electrical Installation

Katie Sime

Hometown: Forest of Dean. Training provider: Reds Hair Company. Employer: Reds Hair Company.

Hairdressing

Grace Longden

Hometown: Macclesfield. Training provider: Macclesfield College / Keele University.

Health & Social Care

Caolan McCartan

Hometown: Newry, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Southern Regional College.

Industry 4.0

Patrick Sheerin

Hometown: Portadown, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Southern Regional College. Employer: A J Power.

Industry 4.0

Charlie Priestley

Hometown: Aberdeen, Scotland. Training provider: North East Scotland College / Robert Gordon University. Employer: North East Scotland College.

IT Network Systems Administration

Jamie Matthews

Hometown: Ballyclare, Northern Ireland. Training provider: Northern Regional College. Employer: Mivan.

Joinery

Stuart Lyons

Hometown: Lanark, Scotland. Training provider: New College Lanarkshire. Employer: Glacier Energy.

Mechanical Engineering: CAD

Emily Bettridge

Hometown: Nottingham. Training provider: Toyota Manufacturing UK. Employer: Toyota Manufacturing UK.

Mechatronics

Liz Hopkinson

Hometown: Alfreton, Derbyshire. Training provider: Toyota Manufacturing UK. Employer: Toyota Manufacturing UK.

Mechatronics

Shelby Fitzakerly

Hometown: Accrington, Lancashire. Training provider: Accrington and Rossendale College. Employer: SPAIN Building and Maintenance.

Painting and Decorating

Andrew McCann

Hometown: Aughnacloy, Northern Ireland. Training provider: South West College. Employer: South West College and AMC.

Plumbing and Heating

Samuel Jones

Hometown: Ashton, Wigan. Training provider: PRTC Burnley. Employer: Industrial Cooling Equipment Ltd.

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Madeleine Warburton

Hometown: Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. Training provider: Grwp Coleg Menai. Employer: RWE.

Renewable Energy

Yuliia Batrak

Hometown: Llandudno, Wales. Training provider: Grwp Llandrillo Menai. Employer: St George’s Hotel.

Restaurant Services

Finn Gallagher

Hometown: Cardiff, Wales. Training provider: Cardiff University.

Web Technologies

Peter Jenkins

Hometown: Holyhead, Wales. Training provider: Coleg Menai. Employer: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Robot Systems Integration

Pratham Lohia

Hometown: Mumbai, India. Training provider: Middlesex University.