Two North Wales students take skills to world stage

Two students from Grŵp Llandrillo Menai will represent the UK at an international skills competition bringing about 1,500 young people to Shanghai from more than 80 countries.

Yuliia Batrak and Madeleine Warburton are part of the 28-strong Team UK for WorldSkills Shanghai, which runs from Tuesday 22 September to Sunday 27 September. The UK team will compete across 25 skill categories.

Restaurant service and renewable energy

Batrak, 20, will compete in restaurant services. She is studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Professional Food and Beverage Service at Coleg Llandrillo's Rhos-on-Sea campus and works at St George's Hotel in Llandudno.

Warburton, also 20, represents Team UK in renewable energy. She began an offshore wind turbine technician apprenticeship in 2023 and trains through Coleg Llandrillo's Rhyl campus while working for RWE.

A three-year route to Shanghai

The pair progressed through regional and national WorldSkills UK competitions followed by specialist training. Batrak said her route to Shanghai began three years ago, while Warburton said she wanted to display the skills developed through her apprenticeship.

The two categories show the range of the event, from hospitality to technologies linked to the energy transition. Team UK also includes Welsh competitors from Newport, Wrexham, Holyhead and Cardiff across game art, advanced manufacturing, robotics and web technologies.

WorldSkills describes the competition as a benchmark for technical and vocational ability. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai principal Paul Flanagan said the two selections reflected the students' work and the college's specialist support.