Ballymena’s Joe Wilton earns world-class medal at WorldSkills in Shanghai
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has congratulated our further education colleges and students after they delivered a world-class performance on the global stage, bringing home a gold medal, bronze medal and five medals for excellence from WorldSkills in Shanghai. The Minister met some of the competitors and college representatives at Parliament Buildings before they headed to Shanghai for the ‘Skills Olympics’.
Friday 02 October 2026
Ballymena’s Joe Wilton has been recognised among the world’s top young skilled professionals after earning a medal for excellence at the prestigious WorldSkills competition in Shanghai.
Joe, who works for SDM Paintwork and attends Riverpark Training, achieved the international recognition in Autobody Repair after competing against some of the best young talent from across the globe.
His success formed part of a standout performance by Northern Ireland’s further education and training competitors, who returned from the competition with a gold medal, bronze medal and five medals for excellence.
Ballymena talent recognised in Shanghai
WorldSkills is regarded as the leading global competition for vocational skills and is commonly described as the “Skills Olympics”, bringing together young competitors from countries around the world.
Joe’s medal for excellence recognises that he achieved a world-class standard in Autobody Repair during the international competition.
He was one of five Northern Ireland competitors to receive medals for excellence, alongside Andrew McCann, from Aughnacloy, in Plumbing & Heating and Jonathan Gough, from Waringstown, in Electrical Installation.
Caolan McCartan, from Newry, and Patrick Sheerin, from Portadown, also received medals for excellence in Industry 4.0. Both attend Southern Regional College, while Patrick works for AJ Power.
Gold and bronze for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland also celebrated two podium finishes, with Banbridge competitor Ruth Douglas crowned world champion in Chemical Laboratory Technology.
Ruth, who works at Almac and attends Southern Regional College, secured gold, while Lurgan’s Oisin McKerr won bronze in Car Painting. Oisin works for Porters Body Shop and also attends Southern Regional College.
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, who met some of the competitors at Stormont before they travelled to Shanghai, described the results as an “incredible achievement”.
“What an incredible achievement. Our competitors have taken on the very best in the world and shown that we have the talent and skills to compete and win on the global stage.
“To bring home gold, bronze and five medals for excellence is an outstanding result and every one of our competitors should be immensely proud.
“Their success also speaks volumes about the quality of our further education colleges, training providers and employers. Developing world-class skills is vital to creating good jobs, improving productivity and building a stronger economy, and these young people are fantastic ambassadors for what the north has to offer.”
World-class recognition for local skills
For Ballymena, Joe Wilton’s achievement puts local vocational talent firmly among the high-performing competitors recognised at one of the biggest international showcases of technical skills.
The Northern Ireland team’s haul of seven awards across disciplines ranging from vehicle repair and plumbing to laboratory technology and advanced manufacturing demonstrates the standard being achieved by young people learning through colleges, training providers and employers.
