Johnny Gough, from Waringstown in County Down, Northern Ireland, is preparing to represent his country on the world stage after being selected for Team UK for the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai.
Johnny’s WorldSkills journey began when a lecturer at Southern Regional College entered him into an inter-campus competition. After winning, he progressed through the regional qualifiers and went on to secure a bronze medal in Electrical Installation at the WorldSkills UK National Finals in 2024. His performance earned him a place in Squad UK and started his journey towards international competition.
A major milestone was representing the UK at EuroSkills Herning 2025, where Johnny had the opportunity to put his skills to the test against some of Europe’s best young professionals.
“EuroSkills Herning was a brilliant learning experience. Competing at that level showed me where I could improve and what I needed to work on. I’ve taken everything I learned from Herning and put it into my training, which has really helped me prepare for Shanghai.”
Since then, Johnny’s training has stepped up further. He recently travelled to Yancheng in China for an international pressure test, competing against participants from seven other countries. Shortly afterwards, he travelled to Wales for further training alongside the WorldSkills UK Renewable Energy squad.
“It’s been a busy period, but every experience has helped me develop. Training and competing internationally has given me a better understanding of the standard I need to reach and helped me become more confident working under pressure.”
Johnny is also seeing the benefits outside of competition. His business, JG Electrical, has gone from strength to strength since EuroSkills Herning, with the international exposure helping to raise its profile.
“The business has really grown since EuroSkills, which has been great to see. The experience has also given me more confidence in my abilities and helped me develop my skills to an even higher standard. I’m hoping to keep building on that and continue growing the business.”
With Shanghai now firmly in his sights, Johnny is focused on the final stages of his preparation and the opportunity to represent Team UK on the world stage.
“Representing my country is a huge honour and something I’m incredibly proud of. There’s been a lot of hard work to get here, and I’m really looking forward to getting out to Shanghai, giving it everything I’ve got and representing the UK as best I can.”
