Victoria's next generation of skilled workers has outshone the rest of Australia at the nation's largest trades and skills competition, returning with the highest number of gold medals.
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney today celebrated the 100 young Victorians who put their skills to the test over the weekend, competing against Australia's top apprentices and trainees the 2025 WorldSkills National Championships and Skills Show.
Over 600 competitors from across the country gathered in Brisbane for three days of intense competition in more than 60 skill categories including plumbing, cyber security, health care, carpentry, web design, hairdressing, floristry and automotive mechanics.
Victoria won 19 gold medals - the most of any other state. The Melbourne East Region was awarded the Evatt Shield for being the best-performing region across Australia.
Lily-Grace Toohill, a jewellery-making student at Melbourne Polytechnic, was recognised as the highest-performing competitor across all categories and took home the event's top award, the Best of Nation.
Team Victoria was made up of 105 apprentices and trainees and 25 secondary school students plus more than 100 mentors and team leaders from Victoria's TAFEs, registered training organisations, schools and industry.
The team was packed with outstanding new talent, including the first two women to compete in welding at a National Championships.
Eligible national medallists now have the chance to join a skills squad and earn a coveted spot on Team Australia - also known as the Skillaroos and represent Australia at the 2026 international WorldSkills competition in Shanghai.
WorldSkills is an international trade and skills competition staged every two years that gives young apprentices, trainees and vocational students the chance to showcase their technical talents and compete on a global stage.
Training for many of the skills being demonstrated at WorldSkills is available free from tuition fees through Victoria's Free TAFE program, making training and secure jobs even more accessible.
Free TAFE has been a gamechanger for Victorians, with more than 206,000 students, saving on average $3,000 per course - getting the skills they need for good, stable jobs while putting money back in their pocket.
Victorians remember the carnage caused when the Liberals sacked more than 2,000 TAFE teachers, shut 22 TAFE campuses and ripped $1 billion from TAFEs across Victoria when they were last in Government.
To find out more about WorldSkills visit www.worldskills.org.au.
As stated by Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney
"Congratulations to all our Team Victoria competitors - it's a huge accomplishment to represent your state on a national stage and you've done us proud."
"WorldSkills competitions give our talented apprentices, trainees and vocational students a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the valuable skills that will set them up for rewarding careers in the trades."
