Team UK has returned home with six medals after three days of intense competition at EuroSkills Herning, Europe’s largest skills event, held in Denmark this week.
Among the highlights was a bronze medal for industry 4.0, awarded to Patrick Sheerin and Caolan McCartan, who train at Southern Regional College in Northern Ireland. Their achievement was applauded by family, friends, officials and experts during the closing ceremony.
The UK finished fifteenth out of 33 nations in the overall medal table. At the previous EuroSkills event in Gdańsk, Poland, the UK ranked thirteenth, winning one gold and two bronze medals.
McCartan, who works for A J Power, admitted he struggled to believe the bronze result when it was announced, saying: “We were sitting there all evening and the nerves started to kick in towards the last five minutes.”
Sheerin, employed by Pronto Engineering Group, added: “We’ve done our college proud, our trainers proud, and we like to think we’ve done Team UK proud too. We gave it our all.”
Both competitors will continue their training for next year’s WorldSkills competition in Shanghai, where they expect their main rivals to be from Denmark, after the Hungarian winners were ruled ineligible.
WorldSkills UK chief executive Ben Blackledge praised the entire delegation, explaining: “We selected a young, driven team that shows huge potential to develop into world-class skilled professionals. This experience has accelerated their development ahead of the global competition in China.”
Restaurant services competitor Yuliia Batrak was awarded a Medallion for Excellence, recognising her achievement in meeting international standards. Batrak, who fled the war in Ukraine with her family in 2022 and now studies catering and hospitality at Grwp Llandrillo Menai in Wales, was joined in Herning by her mother and younger sister. Her training manager, Shyam Patiar, was seen visibly moved with pride at her success.
Alongside the medallion winners, Katie Sime received the best in nation award for the UK, recognising the highest individual score among British competitors. She expressed her joy at celebrating with her teammates at the farewell ceremony and said she was excited to see her family on her return home.
This year’s competition marked the ninth EuroSkills event, with the baton now passed to Düsseldorf, Germany, which will host the 2027 edition. Before then, the world’s best young professionals will compete at WorldSkills Shanghai in 2025.
Closing the event in his role as chair of WorldSkills Europe, Ben Blackledge emphasised the importance of skills for the future. “From digitalisation and artificial intelligence to tackling climate change, your skills are the key to building a brighter future. I also want to recognise the incredible work of the experts, trainers and mentors who have supported our competitors. Your dedication is what makes excellence possible.”
UK medal winners
