TU Dublin President visits WorldSkills Shanghai as Team Ireland takes on global skills challenge
TU Dublin President Dr Deirdre Lillis was in Shanghai this week to support Team Ireland and engage with international leaders at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, as the world’s leading young skilled professionals compete on the global stage.
Often described as the ‘Olympics of Skills’, WorldSkills brings together competitors from across the world to demonstrate excellence across a diverse range of occupations and disciplines. Team Ireland targeted participation in 16 competitions at this year’s event, with a strong TU Dublin contingent representing Ireland.
For TU Dublin, participation at WorldSkills provides an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our students and apprentices while connecting the University’s practice-based approach to education with a global conversation about the future of skills.
Dr Lillis’s visit included engagement with Team Ireland competitors and participation in the WorldSkills Conference 2026, which brought together education and training leaders, policymakers, industry representatives and other international stakeholders under the theme Shaping a Skills-Driven Future.
The three-day conference explored how education and training systems can respond to changing economic, technological and societal needs, with discussions focused on skills development, innovation, industry engagement and the future of technical and vocational education and training.
Dr Lillis said:
“WorldSkills provides a unique opportunity to see excellence in skills and practical education at an international level. I was delighted to be in Shanghai to support our TU Dublin competitors and Team Ireland, and to engage with colleagues from across the global skills community.
“At TU Dublin, we are committed to education that connects knowledge with practice and prepares our students and apprentices for the world of work and for the challenges of the future. Events such as WorldSkills demonstrate the value of that approach and provide an important opportunity for us to learn from international practice, strengthen partnerships and recognise the talent and dedication of our learners.”
TU Dublin’s involvement in WorldSkills reflects the University’s longstanding commitment to career-focused, practice-based education and to providing multiple pathways into education, training and employment.
The University works closely with industry and partners across a wide range of apprenticeship and skills-based programmes. For TU Dublin Governing Body Interim Chair Eoin O’Shea, the University’s presence at WorldSkills was also an opportunity to highlight the contribution that skills-based education makes to individuals, industry and society.
Eoin O’Shea said:
“WorldSkills is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when talent, education, training and industry come together. We are extremely proud of the TU Dublin competitors who have reached this international stage and of the staff and partners who have supported them along the way.
“Our presence in Shanghai also reflected TU Dublin’s commitment to engaging internationally and learning from developments in skills and education around the world. The conversations and engagement in Shanghai are highly relevant to how we prepare our learners for a rapidly changing world and to our role in supporting Ireland’s future skills needs.”
A hugely valuable connection between TU Dublin and the international WorldSkills community is provided by Ray English, a longstanding member of the TU Dublin community and member of the University’s Governing Body, who is also a member of the WorldSkills Board.
Ray brings extensive experience in apprenticeships, policymaking and technical and vocational education and training, with a particular focus on the transition to green and digital skills. His involvement on the WorldSkills Board provides a direct link between TU Dublin and the international development of skills policy and practice.
The WorldSkills Conference was held alongside the competition at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Centre. Its programme combined plenary and panel discussions with workshops, industry and TVET field trips, and opportunities to experience the WorldSkills competition itself.
The conference brought together a broad coalition of international organisations and partners, including the European Commission, International Labour Organisation, OECD, World Bank, UNESCO and UNIDO, underlining the increasingly international focus on skills development and the role of education and training in economic and social development.
For TU Dublin, the University’s presence in Shanghai was an opportunity not only to support Team Ireland but also to participate in a wider international exchange on the future of skills, an area closely aligned with the University’s mission and its distinctive combination of academic, practical and industry-connected education.