MK College student Toby Collins has been invited to the Squad UK selection event in 2027 following a silver medal win in the ‘Mechanical Engineering: CAD’ category at WorldSkills’s UK national finals in November.

If successful in the selection event, Toby will participate in the WorldSkills UK International Competition Development Programme, an intensive training programme lasting around 18 months, to compete for a chance to represent the UK at the world’s largest vocational skills competition, WorldSkills Aichi, Japan in November 2028.

WorldSkills is a global hub for skills excellence and development, operating in 85 countries and regions. It organises world and national championships for vocational skills, showcasing the talents of young people in various trades. WorldSkills aims to demonstrate the advantages of learning vocational skills and to encourage vocational qualifications to be given parity with academic qualifications.

Currently studying a Level 3 in Engineering, Toby is considering his next steps by looking at various Level 6 apprenticeships in different fields of engineering. Alongside his studies, Toby will be preparing for the selection event with a CAD coach of his choosing.

Jay Timpany, Programme Manager for Engineering at MK College, said: “I can’t think of a more deserving student – he strives to excel in all areas he’s in and, not just that, but he wants everyone else to be alongside him. He can be found, in most lessons, helping his peers understand and excel in the same way he does.

“He is a credit to the College and to himself and truly embodies the value of excellence in all senses.”

Toby reflected on the announcement: “It caught me completely off guard. It had been a little while since the UK finals and by this point, I had completely forgotten about the event. I am overjoyed that I have been accepted to take part in the selection event and know that I need to get lots of practice in beforehand to ensure I have the best chance possible.”

To learn more about Toby’s experience at the WorldSkills UK nationals final, read more here.