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Two local apprentices have brought home Team UK's only colour medal from this year's EuroSkills competition in Denmark, claiming bronze in Industry 4.0. Caolan McCartan from Camlough and Patrick Sheerin from Portadown competed at EuroSkills Herning last month, where their impressive performance helped place Team UK in 15th position overall out of 32 European countries.
The duo's success at the prestigious biennial event followed their gold medal win at the 2024 WorldSkills UK National Finals in November 2024. That national victory earned them their place on Team UK and the chance to represent the UK on the European stage.
The months leading up to EuroSkills were demanding for the pair, who regularly travelled to England to train under Marcin Regulski, Team UK's Industry 4.0 training manager. Caolan described the preparation as intense, saying: "I would say the intensity ramped up quite a bit. We were shown a lot more hardware than we've ever seen before and although you might not believe it, the skills gap had increased."
He added: "We really had to put in a lot more time and effort. The UK national finals had set us up on a good platform, but this last six, seven months has been a lot more intense than I'd ever expected."
When their names appeared on the screen as bronze medallists, the experience was unforgettable. Patrick said: "To win the medal was unbelievable. It was similar to the national finals in the sense of, we think we might have placed, but we don't know. So as soon as you see your name on the screen and the whole stadium erupts. Everybody was just in awe and screaming and shouting. It was an experience I don't think I'll ever forget."
Both Patrick and Caolan started their WorldSkills journey whilst undertaking their Higher Level Apprenticeships at Southern Regional College. They were paired together for the 2024 national competition by their lecturer, Sean MacDiarmada, who has a strong track record of mentoring medal-winning students in Automation, Mechatronics and Industry 4.0. Sean has continued to support the pair, ensuring they had access to training facilities in preparation for EuroSkills.
The duo aren't resting on their laurels though. They're already eyeing the next challenge, the WorldSkills global competition in Shanghai in September 2026. Patrick said: "Provided we get picked for Team UK, it's about honing the skills that we have now. If we can refine those skills, in a year hopefully we could be standing on the podium in Shanghai in 2026. We've got a medal at every competition, so why not go the one step further, on the international stage."
Their advice for future competitors is straightforward. "You go for it, because what have you got to lose? There are so many opportunities that come could come from this. It's unbelievable. Whether it's increasing your knowledge, travelling or making new connections in industry. For everything you put in, you'll get twice as much out. You just need to be willing to put in that extra bit of work."
EuroSkills Herning 2025 was the ninth edition of the competition, which ran from 9 to 13 September at MCH Messecenter Herning in Denmark. The competition is Europe's largest biennial vocational skills event for young people under 25, promoting excellence in vocational training and encouraging innovation in education across the continent. The next edition will be co-hosted by Germany and Luxembourg from 22 to 26 September 2027.
