Team UK have been riding the emotional highs of waving the flag in front of thousands of people at last night’s WorldSkills opening ceremony. The team of 28 UK champions were up early on Wednesday morning to compete in their first day of competition in Shanghai. But they were running on sub-optimal sleep after celebrating the stunning opening of the competition into the early hours of the morning. Chemical laboratory technician Ruth Douglas, from Northern Ireland, said the parade through the arena was a “surreal experience” for her. “I’m quite a reserved person, I’m not really into big events, but honestly I loved every second of it. The team spirit and being in that atmosphere and that environment was so amazing,” she said. “It really boosted my confidence for the week ahead,” she added. Wigan-based Sam Jones, the UK’s refrigeration & air conditioning competitor, said that the build-up to the event was a highlight for him. “Getting ready, everyone was a bit jittery and nervous but when we walked up onto the stage it was like something you see on TV,” he beamed. Both Jones and Douglas had short tasks today, meaning they had a relaxed afternoon to prepare for busier days ahead. Jones’ first task on day one was installing and commissioning an air-to-water heat pump at his workstation, which is used to heat water in a house, a steer away from his usual air-to-air heat pump training. “I suppose that is the way the trade is going, so it has been nice to train and practice on that and work on something new,” he said. Going into the subsequent days, Jones added that he was in a “good and positive” mindset for tomorrow and “smash it again hopefully”. Douglas was also a little out of her comfort zone today with her four-hour task using an auto-titrator, a piece of equipment that determines the concentration of a substance in a solution. “I’m used to doing manual titration,” she said. “It was a challenge using that equipment and getting it to do what I wanted it to do.” Luckily, Douglas had previously had a day-long one-to-one training with the manufacturer of the auto-titrator, so was familiar with the technology. Robot systems spotlight Jason Scott, a former competitor in robot systems integration at WorldSkills Lyon, was also in Shanghai supporting the team. Robot systems integration is a fairly new skill, having just been launched at WorldSkills in 2022. Scott, along with his teammate Charlie Carson, won a medal for excellence in 2024 and has been training the duo on the side of his day job. The competition involves setting up an industrial robot to be automated for use in factories. (left to right) Claire Riddle from Pearson, Pratham Lohia, Peter Jenkins, Marion Plant chair of WorldSkills UK Peter Jenkins and Pratham Lohia have been training together for the competition for just six months, but Scott, who has been their assistant trainer and even let them sofa surf, has all the confidence in the duo to do well. Lohia is the software czar of this skill, setting up the programme, while Jenkins works in “the cell”, making sure the machinery is up to scratch to perform the programme once launched. “After this morning, it was absolute panic, but now they’ll hit the flow state; they’ll hit the rhythm of this competition. That will be really required especially for tomorrow when the tasks get harder and harder,” Scott explained. These systems have hundreds of applications, from an Amazon warehouse to a Tesla factory, and are used by countless corporate customers. Tomorrow, Jenkins and Lohia will run their programme but will be thrown “curveballs” as the hypothetical customers become more demanding. At the end of the competition, the team will have to document their programme and present to their peers and experts. Scott said his words of wisdom to this year’s team were to make sure their presentation was concise and eloquent and to enjoy every second of the experience. “This will be a lifelong memory that they will never forget.”