Madeleine joins up with UK squad for WorldSkills 2026

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and RWE apprentice Madeleine Warburton has this week joined up with the WorldSkillsUK training squad for Shanghai 2026.

Madeleine, an apprentice wind turbine technician, is studying Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering and Level 3 Electrical Power Engineering at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhyl campus.

The 19-year-old has been selected in the UK training squad for the Renewable Energy competition in next year’s ‘Skills Olympics’.

The squad members will meet up for a series of training sessions to develop their skills before one competitor is chosen to represent the UK in China.

This week, they are in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for the first of those sessions, where they will receive wind turbine nacelle training and work on teamwork and collaboration skills.

Madeleine was also in the training squad for Lyon 2024, having qualified through WorldSkills UK competitions, and says she has gained a lot from the process.

“It’s been really amazing,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the process so far, especially with the lead-up to Lyon ‘24 last year.

“It’s great to be able to do it again. The skills I’ve learned are really valuable, and it’s great meeting new people who are like-minded as well.”

Madeleine is learning her trade at the wind turbine training facility in Coleg Llandrillo’s recently opened, £14million engineering centre in Rhyl, a centre of excellence built to equip people in North Wales with the skills for successful careers in the sector. The industrial-scale wind turbine servicing and maintenance hall was developed in partnership with Madeleine’s employer, leading renewable energy company RWE.

Madeleine says her competition experience has already helped in her role with RWE, and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge through training with the WorldSkillsUK squad.

“I’m hoping to learn more about solar and also about different processes on the wind turbine trainer that we use, such as shaft alignment,” she added.

“I think it’s really helped me learn new skills so far, being able to try it hands-on in a smaller-scale environment. When I went offshore over the summer I understood it a bit more without going into it completely blindly. Hopefully I’ll be able to learn a lot more transferable skills to different sectors of the industry too.

Asked about her apprenticeship, Madeleine said: “I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve loved the hands-on, practical aspect of it. With the facilities we’ve got in college, I’m able to visualise what I’m going to be working on, which has been great.

“The opportunities it has opened up – such as taking part in the skills competitions – have been amazing.”