General News
1 May, 2026
Shanghai awaits talented apprentice
SOUTH West TAFE carpentry apprentice Lachy King has been named as one of 38 ‘Skillaroos’ to compete against the world’s best at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 in September.
Lachy will be the only carpentry apprentice to represent Australia at the competition, and will become the first South West TAFE apprentice to compete at the world championships.
WorldSkills Australia recently announced Lachy as part of the team of 38 young apprentices, trainees and students who will represent the nation at the world’s biggest skills competition from September 22-27 as part of the ‘Skillaroos’ team.
Lachy is now fully qualified and employed by MM Hearn Coastal Construction after completing his training at South West TAFE.
He won the 2025 WorldSkills national bronze medal and will be supported in Shanghai by international expert Ryan Grieger.
He’s already had a taste of international competition after attending a practice session in China last month.
“That was a great experience, to practice against a few of the Chinese apprentices who will be competing in their national finals,” he said.
“Now I’m really looking forward to being part of the world finals and gaining more skills from the training and competition.”
The team will be supported by 34 experts, who have overseen their training and preparation, along with six team officials.
The delegation will total 79 representatives – the largest in Australia’s history.
Lachy won the south-west regional title and was chosen in the top three in Victoria.
He was third in the nationals but the first and second place getters were too old to be eligible to compete in Shanghai.
The international title is only open to people born after January 1, 2004.
Lachy paid tribute to his employer Mick Hearn for his support and thanked his TAFE teachers for their guidance while he completed his carpentry apprenticeship last year.
CEO Mark Fidge described Lachy’s selection as a great achievement and said it reflected the high quality of training at South West TAFE.
“It’s exciting for our region to have a local apprentice on the world stage and we hope it inspires more people to look at the value of becoming qualified to work in such a high-demand area as construction,” Mr Fidge said.
In 2024 South West TAFE graduate Jayme Cannon was the national gold medallist but was ineligible to go to the World Championships due to age.
However, his employer Westvic Staffing Solutions sent him to Paris as an ambassador.
WorldSkills Australia chief executive officer Trevor Schwenke said the Skillaroos team members had already proven themselves as the best in the country through the national championships, and now they are taking that talent to the world stage.
“We’re incredibly proud of the commitment the Skillaroos and their experts have shown in preparing for this moment, and we’re excited to see them represent Australia in Shanghai,” he said.
Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, offered his congratulations to the 39 Australians named as part of the team.
“The Skillaroos are great role models for Australians young and old to see where a qualification in vocational education and training can take you – skills that leads to a great long-term career in the jobs that Australians rely on every day,” Minister Giles said.
More than 1,400 competitors from over 70 countries and regions will take part in WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 across 64 skill competitions, making it one of the largest global events celebrating vocational excellence.
