When Tomas landed a spot on the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 training squad and the chance to represent the UK in CNC Milling at EuroSkills Herning 2025—Europe’s biggest skills competition—his employers at Electroimpact had one message: go for it.
The aerospace automation company had already seen the benefits of participating in WorldSkills UK Competitions when their apprentice Ethan Davies represented the UK at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017. Ethan used the skills he learnt to help transform ways of working and he is now UK Manufacturing Lead at Electroimpact and Tomas’ manager.
“Having Ethan’s support at work has definitely helped. He gets the pressure and the commitment—but more importantly, he knows how much you grow from it. He’s been guiding me through the training every step of the way.”
Tomas secured his apprenticeship with Electroimpact while studying at Coleg Cambria. He had always preferred the more practical way of learning and spotting his talent, his college entered him into the Skills Wales and WorldSkills UK Competitions. For Tomas, his success in skills competitions confirmed what he already knew: choosing an apprenticeship was the best move for his career.
It is a huge commitment training for EuroSkills, alongside his role as a machinist apprentice, and Tomas spends most of his spare time honing his skills for competition. Adam Youens, a lecturer at Coleg Cambria and WorldSkills UK Expert is training Tomas.
“Training with WorldSkills UK has taken my apprenticeship to the next level. It’s boosted my technical skills, but just as importantly, it’s built my confidence and sharpened my communication skills.”
Tomas’s family are extremely proud of all his achievements, even if they aren’t quite sure what a CNC Milling machine is admits Tomas. While Tomas is totally focused on the upcoming EuroSkills Competition in September, he still has one eye on the selection process for WorldSkills Shanghai, which takes place next year.
“It would be amazing to go to both EuroSkills in Denmark and WorldSkills in Shanghai, that’s the plan!”
Follow Tomas’s journey @WorldSkills UK
Pearson is the official partner of Team UK for EuroSkills Herning 2025 and WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Find out how the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab can support apprentices and learners.
