After competing at the 2025 WorldSkills Australia National Championships, two emerging talents reflected on their journey at a skills event with more than 600 competitors battling out in over 60 skills for nationals.
The competition brought together the country’s top apprentices, trainees and students, celebrating excellence and creating opportunities for international representation.
Connor Beisler and Zak Resuggan participated in baking and cookery competitions respectively. As members of the Skillaroos training squad, both are now preparing for possible selection to represent Australia at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, in 2026.
Based in Dungog, New South Wales, Beisler works at the family-owned Beisler Barrington Bakery. With over four years in the trade, he earned a gold medal in the baking category where contestants had to bake croissants, baguettes, brioche and sweet doughs. Across the three days, the contest involved producing a set list of breads within strict time limits, with contestants marked on quality, weight, and consistency.
His success did not come easily. Beisler highlighted the challenge of balancing full-time work with competition preparation.
“It’s very tolling not only on your personal life, but also physically and mentally. That’s always a challenge for stuff like this,” he added.
For Resuggan, who is based in Daylesford, Victoria, the journey was equally demanding. He placed fourth in the cookery category and took home a medallion for excellence.
“The competition was over three days, and the set criteria was to make two dishes a day,” Resuggan said.
Using ingredients such as chicken and leek, competitors produced a range of dishes from entrées to mains and desserts. Resuggan described the challenge of repeating the same recipes during months of training. He said he managed to compete with confidence by refining his skills until the techniques became “second nature”.
The Skillaroos Training Squad
With the National Championships complete, the focus now turns to forming the next Skillaroos Training Squad – a group of top-performing competitors who will receive advanced development and training for potential international selection.
These young Australians will take part in workshops, bootcamps, and one-on-one coaching with national experts as they prepare to represent Australia on the world stage. The squad embodies the very best of the nation’s skills sector, demonstrating not only technical ability but also resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Over the coming months, Beisler and Resuggan will participate in development workshops, training camps, and performance assessments. Beisler’s preparation will focus on refining doughs, perfecting flavours, achieving precise weights and sizes, and mastering timing to an almost instinctive level.
The training will be demanding, involving technical skill enhancement alongside time management, consistency, and performance under pressure. For both competitors, selection offers a chance to refine their craft and showcase Australian skills internationally.
“I love the competition, the adrenaline, and meeting other highly skilled people – not just from Australia, but from all over the world,” said Resuggan.
The chance to connect with global peers and industry leaders opens doors to new ideas, techniques, and opportunities. In the long term, this kind of exposure contributes to a stronger and more innovative skilled workforce back in Australia.
“The networking opportunity you have with others within your industry, and the places you can go from meeting these people, is a big gain,” added Resuggan.
Saving Australian skills
The championships shone a light on the next generation of Australian skilled professionals and underscored the urgent need to promote careers in the vocational education and training (VET) sector.
When asked about younger Australians entering trades, Resuggan and Beisler expressed concern about the declining number of apprentices in the country. In Beisler’s experience, class sizes in TAFE had dropped over the years. He said that the initial class size of 20 has dropped to 10.
Resuggan echoed this sentiment.
“Only 50 per cent of apprentices in commercial cookery finish,” he said.
These statistics point to a troubling trend for the future of Australia’s trades. Both competitors stressed that competitions such as WorldSkills play a vital role in inspiring the next generation to consider vocational pathways and showing them the level of skill and pride these careers can offer.
A growing appreciation for trades
For Beisler and Resuggan, the event provided far more than rankings or medals. It opened their eyes to the full scope of Australia’s skills landscape.
“I didn’t realise that there were over 60 trades,” said Beisler. “The scale of the event really blew me away.”
His personal highlight was witnessing the variety of pathways available across the trades sector. Similarly, Resuggan’s key moment came at the end of the competition, when competitors from different trades put rivalry aside to celebrate achievements together, forming new connections that may last a lifetime.
Both agreed that networking was one of the most valuable parts of the WorldSkills experience. Beisler explained that beyond competitions and training courses, the real career-defining opportunities often come from the people you meet.
Outside of Australia, he said, there are countless development programs and international competitions for those in the food industry, making the connections gained through WorldSkills especially powerful.
What’s next for WorldSkills Australia?
WorldSkills Australia is now preparing for the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, in 2026, where the Skillaroos will compete against the best in the world. The organisation is calling on companies, training providers, and industry leaders to get involved. Support in the form of funding, mentorship, and partnerships will be essential in ensuring that competitors have the resources to succeed on the global stage.
The competition reflects a long-term commitment to raising the profile of trades and skills, empowering young Australians, and building a stronger, more capable workforce for the future.
According to WorldSkills Australia, the success of the national championships was made possible through the support of partners, volunteers, training organisations, and educators from across the country.
By bringing together rising stars like Beisler and Resuggan, the movement to celebrate the power of skills to drive innovation in industry can expand both nationally and internationally.
The stories of these two competitors highlight not only their own determination and talent, but also the critical role of WorldSkills in shaping Australia’s future workforce. As training intensifies for Shanghai, Beisler and Resuggan are not just representing themselves or their trades; they are carrying the aspirations of a nation eager to see its skills shine on the world stage.