NESCol Success

Journey to WorldSkills Shanghai begins for NESCol computing student

May 8, 2025

21-year-old Charlie Priestley has been selected as part of the WorldSkills training squad, with hopes of being chosen to represent the UK at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.

WorldSkills UK, in partnership with Pearson, has announced that 86 students and apprentices will join its intensive 18-month training programme in preparation for the 48th international WorldSkills competition.

Known as the ‘Skills Olympics’, this is the first time that China has hosted the event, which will be held in Shanghai from 22-27 September 2026. Over 1,500 young people from across the globe will compete in technical skill disciplines including engineering, manufacturing, digital and hospitality.

Two-time silver medalist Charlie advanced through the entry stages and qualifiers to the national finals for IT Network Systems Administration in 2023, and IT Support Technician in 2024. His outstanding performances earned him a place on the UK training squad for IT Network Systems Administration.

Charlie has been studying at NESCol since 2020 and is currently completing his HND Networking & Cloud Infrastructure (NextGen). As well as College and training for WorldSkills, he also works at the NESCol IT Helpdesk and plans to advance to university after the summer.

Charlie said:

“It wasn’t until I was sitting down at the WorldSkills competitions, and actually needed to use my skills, that I realised how much I had learned at NESCol.

“I originally heard about WorldSkills through a computing lecturer and thought I’d sign up and give it a try. The first year I missed out on the gold medal by one point. The second year, I entered the IT Support Technician category which had over 80 competitors battling it out for the eight places in the final.

“I had a feeling that I might be invited to join the squad because of how I performed in the finals, but it was really nice when the phone call did happen. I was very happy!”

The programme requires a significant commitment from the squad, with training most weekends and additional sessions during the week. Charlie is competing against two others in his category for the chance to represent the UK in Shanghai next year.

Andrew Donn, Head of Sector for Construction, Science & Computing, NESCol, said:

“We are incredibly proud of Charlie and delighted to have one of our students representing NESCol on the WorldSkills UK training squad.

“His impressive knowledge, talent for computing and excellent attitude have been recognised at a national level and we are confident he will excel on an international stage.

“We are dedicated to supporting our students and helping them achieve success both in their studies and endeavors outside of College. Charlie is a true testament to what you can achieve with hard work and passion, and we wish him all the best on his journey to Shanghai.”

WorldSkills is the world’s largest international skills competition and is attended by key figures including government representatives and leading employers. Global experts believe it is the ultimate test of a country’s ability to meet future skills requirements.

WorldSkills UK uses its participation in the competition to promote skills excellence across the UK. It collaborates with education, industry and UK governments to establish world-class training standards throughout the skills sector.

Jenny Gilruth, Education Secretary, Scottish Government, said:

“Congratulations to everyone that has been selected for the WorldSkills training programme. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to take their learning to the next stage, whilst getting a potential opportunity to showcase the best Scotland has to offer in skills excellence on the world stage. I have no doubt that this training programme will provide life-changing experiences for all of those selected.”

Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK, said:

“Congratulations to Charlie on being selected for our training programme for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026. Together with the other members on our programme, Charlie will be developing the right skills to fuel business growth across our economy.”

Freya Thomas Monk, Managing Director, Pearson Qualifications, said:

“Pearson is proud to sponsor Team UK!  Boosting the profile and prestige of technical and vocational education is incredibly important to us and I wish this talented group of 86 young people from across the country the best of luck as they begin their training programme towards competing in Shanghai.”