Australia’s Skillaroos ready for Global Skills Challenge in Wollongong

Team Australia’s Skillaroos will test their vocational skills against hundreds of international competitors at the Global Skills Challenge in Wollongong this week, as their preparations for the WorldSkills International competition in Shanghai continue.

The Wollongong event, held from 24 to 28 June, will recreate the high-pressure, technically demanding environment the 37 Skillaroos will face in China this September.

More than 400 participants from 16 countries will take part in the event across four days of competition at TAFE NSW campuses in Shellharbour, Wollongong and Wollongong West. 

Among the Skillaroos representing Team Australia will be apprentice pastry chef, William Nickl, aged 20, whose passion for his craft was shaped growing up in his family’s business, Gumnut Patisserie, in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands.

William has won gold medals at regional and national levels, and now gets the opportunity to achieve his ambition of representing Australia on the world stage.

“When I was in Year 11, another apprentice I worked with was competing, and I helped her with some training tasks,” William said.

“From that moment, competing at a WorldSkills International Competition became my goal – it’s been something I’ve been working towards since I was 13.”

His preparation has been relentless.

“I trained every day for six months before school and completed 10 competition trials to ensure I was ready. Scoring 99.61 at the National Championships was my proudest moment – it reflected the months of hard work and countless hours of practice.”

With the Global Skills Challenge set to simulate the intensity of international competition, the Australian contingent of Skillaroos will get to fine-tune their skills before taking on the world. 

More than 1,400 competitors from over 70 countries will compete across 64 skill categories at the WorldSkills International Competition in Shanghai, taking place from 22 to 27 September 2026.

The Albanese Government is proudly supporting the Skillaroos, continuing a 20-year history of Commonwealth support for WorldSkills Australia.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“Skillaroos like William show Australians how far an apprenticeship can take you – from the Southern Highlands to the international stage.

“Australia’s Skillaroos are an inspiration for us all, and a demonstration of the cutting-edge skills that are putting Australia on the map, and ensuring our country has the skills we need for today and for the future.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Cunningham, Alison Byrnes:

“It’s fantastic to welcome Skillaroos from across Australia, as well as their international competitors, to Wollongong for the Global Skills Challenge.

“The Illawarra continues to prove itself as a key destination for national and international events, and this is yet another opportunity to showcase our region at its best. 

“Vocational education and training changes lives, and this competition is an incredible showcase of the skills and career pathways apprenticeships and TAFE can bring.

“The Albanese Government is backing more Australians to build secure, rewarding futures through fee-free TAFE and apprenticeship programs.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Whitlam, Carol Berry:

“Our whole community will be cheering on our local Skillaroos champion William as he prepares to show off his skills on the international stage this September.

“William is a role model for the doors that a vocational pathway opens, and the opportunities that our Government is backing more Australians to access through programs like Free TAFE.”

ENDS