South Africa wins silver at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

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JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has secured a silver medal in Aircraft Maintenance at the WorldSkills Competition 2026 in Shanghai, China, with Matthew Bowen finishing among the top performers in the discipline.

Bowen scored 738 points, tying with the United Kingdom’s Elyot Harmston for the silver medal. China’s Guotai Sun won gold with 792 points, while Canada’s Benjamin Jamison took bronze with 723 points, according to the official WorldSkills results.

South Africa sent 29 competitors to the 48th WorldSkills Competition, competing across 27 skills. The event brought together 1,385 competitors from 68 countries and regions, according to South Africa’s National Skills Fund and the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The competition, held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27, featured 64 skills and brought together young professionals from around the world to compete in technical and vocational disciplines. WorldSkills said the closing ceremony celebrated about 1,400 competitors from nearly 70 countries and regions.

For South Africa, the result provides an international showcase for its technical and vocational education and training system. The country has participated in WorldSkills since 1990, with its Shanghai delegation representing its largest-ever number of skills categories at the competition.

South African officials have described the country’s participation as part of a broader effort to strengthen technical and vocational skills, expand opportunities for young people and align training with the needs of industry.

The silver medal in Aircraft Maintenance gives South Africa a notable result on the global skills stage, while highlighting the growing importance of specialised technical skills in sectors such as aviation, manufacturing and engineering.