In 2025, as careers evolve and pivot quickly, WorldSkills Ireland provides a practical compass for young people deciding ‘what comes next’. From September 17th–19th, the RDS Simmonscourt hosted Ireland’s largest skills gathering, welcoming more than 30,000 senior students from over 300 schools. Now firmly established on the school calendar, the event combined a careers fair with live competitions, as 180 finalists competed across 35 national contests that brought trades and technology into focus.
At its core, the showcase was about opportunity — showing students that apprenticeships and skills-based pathways can lead to rewarding, future-focused careers. Employers and training bodies set real-world challenges and ran hands-on demonstrations, from green tech and VR to automotive and hospitality, while talks, skill zones and employer stands gave students direct insight into career options. With three quarters of attendees last year exploring alternatives to university, this year underscored a growing shift in how young people are choosing their next steps.
Emma Grant, competing in hairdressing from County Tipperary and studying at LCETB, Raheen, described her choice as something that came naturally. “Hairdressing is in my bones. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she said. Working in a family-run salon, and with relatives involved in developing national apprenticeship routes, Grant has found the trade both creative and deeply social. “In our salon, we now do hair-loss clients. It’s an amazing feeling to give someone back their confidence, whether through a wig or a hairpiece.” She sees competitions as part of a broader career trajectory; “The goal in life would be to become a salon owner, or to teach apprentices myself. I love being able to pass on knowledge.”
Meanwhile, Michael Dempsey, competing in construction plant fitting, is from Kildare and studies at MTU Cork. His route into the trade began on the family farm. “I was very good at breaking machinery, so I had to try and get good at fixing it too,” he laughs. The opportunity to join his current employer came soon after school and he took it. “I haven’t looked back since. My family have been a real support — when you’re fresh out of school you don’t know what the big bad world is like, but they’ve done the right job backing me.” Dempsey emphasised the trade’s portability: “This trade will get you across the world. All you have to do is make one phone call and you’ll be there — it’s a golden ticket. You learn every aspect of the machines and that can lead into engineering or open doors abroad.”
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Walking through the halls of Simmonscourt, visitors could see clusters of students gathered around welding bays, hairdressing chairs, construction simulators and virtual-reality headsets. The mix of noise, focus and steady hands reflected the scale of modern skills training; competitors working under pressure while school groups tried their own hand at new techniques. For many, it was the first time seeing these trades performed at such a high standard, and the experience gave a clear sense of what a career outside the lecture theatre might look like.
Competing in electrical installation, Rachel Horsom is from Co. Waterford and studying at GRETB — Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board. She took an alternative route after school, which led her to an apprenticeship. “I felt I wasn’t a good fit for college. I travelled to Australia after school, moved home and got an opportunity to do an apprenticeship. I didn’t know if I’d be good at it, but within the first week I knew I loved it,” she said. Horsom pointed to the practical grounding of the training: “Literally anything to do with electrics you’ll learn in training at GRETB. Once you get qualified you can work in any part of the world in any electrical industry.” She also spoke directly to gender balance in the trades: “Every single girl today in trade stuff is brilliant at what they do. A lot of girls might be afraid to go into traditionally male trades, but you won’t be let down — definitely, give it a try.”
James Downes, a welding finalist from Clare studying at Shannon FET, said the trade had been part of his life from an early age. “My own dad’s a welder, so I’ve been welding pretty much my whole life,” he explained. He has trained across different methods but keeps a genuine enthusiasm for the work. “I love everything about it. It’s good practice and you meet great people as well. You can travel all over the world with welding if you meet the right people.”
Guidance professionals say events such as WorldSkills Ireland are helping to recalibrate expectations. Catríona Rogers, president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, says the initiative “really aligns with our values, promoting pathways over points.” For Rogers, the central task is to widen how students and parents view routes into work. “It’s not about one pathway being better than another — it’s about giving young people the chance to try things and build resilience. They can try something, and if it doesn’t work out, they try something else, and that’s okay.”
She also highlighted persistent barriers. “Sometimes it still comes down to who you know — what’s your dad do? That needs to change so every student has a clear route to opportunity,” she said. Parents, Rogers added, remain crucial allies; “Mums and dads want what’s best for their child, and once they understand the opportunities available through apprenticeships and further-education routes, they’re often delighted because it makes their child happy.”
This year’s exhibition broadened its sectoral reach, with logistics, ICT, hospitality and the creative arts appearing alongside construction, engineering and the service trades. The range reflected both demand in the labour market and the evolution of training programmes that link classroom learning with industry standards.
As Rogers put it: “It’s fantastic for young people and their parents to come in and see highly skilled competitors performing. It’s inspiring, and it shows there are different ways to get where you want to be.”
WorldSkills Ireland is a government and all-industry initiative, working hand in hand to deliver the solution to Ireland’s skills shortage. Backed by leading industry partners including SISK, Construction Industry Federation and ESB Networks, with sector sponsors such as SIMI (Society of the Irish Motoring Industry) and Fáilte Ireland, and education partner the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the event is also supported by the Government of Ireland and the National Apprenticeship Office (NAO).
WorldSkills Ireland underlines the breadth of careers now on offer and helped close the information gap around vocational routes. By combining competitive standards with accessible careers guidance, the event shows a generation that skills are not a second choice but a direct path to opportunity — at home and around the world.
At this year’s event, both Emma Grant (Hairdressing) and Michael Dempsey (Construction Plant Fitting) went on to win their respective competitions, joining a line-up of winners across 35 national finals.
To see the full list of winners from WorldSkills Ireland 2025, visit: https://worldskillsireland.ie/worldskills-events/2025-competition-winners/?utm_source=irishtimes&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=PR
A special thank you goes to all the event partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and examiners whose support made WorldSkills Ireland 2025 possible. For more, visit https://worldskillsireland.ie/?utm_source=irishtimes&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=PR
