An aircraft maintenance engineer, a lab technician and the coolest refrigeration expert on the planet, are among 21 UK medallists at WorldSkills 2026 in China who showed the strength of the nation’s skills. Team UK, the country’s brightest young apprentices and professionals, were showered with medals as they triumphed in Shanghai, picking up two golds, one silver and three bronze medals at the so-called ‘skills Olympics’. 

A further 13 ‘Medals for Excellence’, denoting world-class standards, were awarded to the UK, meaning medal recognition for 19 of the 25 skills in which Team UK competed. This is the strongest performance since 2017. All 28 young professionals and apprentices, exponents of a wide range of skills that included high-tech robotics and Industry 4.0, returned home enhanced by the experience of competing against 1400 peers from over 70 nations. 

More information www.worldskillsuk.org