Brisbane heavy vehicle technician Lachlan Wright has won bronze for Australia in Heavy Vehicle Technology at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, competing on mobile plant rather than the trucks and buses he works on every day.
A few years ago, Lachlan Wright would not have believed he would one day represent Australia in his trade, let alone come home with a medal from the world’s largest vocational skills competition.
But in September, the Brisbane heavy vehicle technician claimed bronze in Heavy Vehicle Technology at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, competing on machinery quite different to the trucks and buses he works on every day.
“It’s an amazing honour to compete alongside the world’s best technicians, and to come home with a medal,” Lachlan said.
Lachlan was one of 37 Skillaroos to represent Australia in Shanghai and one of only two to come home with a medal.
“The actual event was gigantic. There was just shy of 1,400 competitors across 64 skills from 68 different countries. In our skill [Heavy Vehicle Technology] there were 18 different competitors,” he said.
Over 4 days, Lachlan and his fellow competitors completed 6 modules, each running for 3 hours.
“It was pretty full-on, really. Some of the modules are designed to be either completed by only one or 2 competitors, or not completed at all,” he said.
Bridging the heavy vehicle gap
Adding to the challenge, the WorldSkills idea of a ‘heavy vehicle’ is very different to Australia’s.
At Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia in Brisbane, Lachlan works on trucks and buses. In Shanghai, the equipment he had to diagnose, fault-find and repair was mobile plant: excavators and dozers with hydraulic systems and tracks instead of wheels.
“We understood from the start that coming from a road transport background, we were probably on the back foot a little bit in comparison to other countries,” Lachlan said.
“So it was trying to maximise and understand what the judges are looking for, what they’re actually marking on.”
That focus on the marking scheme, along with strong mentorship from WorldSkills Expert Lead Raman Badekar, helped Lachlan thrive on machinery very different to what he competed on at the Australian national finals.
Raman, who has worked in heavy vehicles and education for decades, was full of praise for Lachlan’s level-headedness.
“Lachlan is a league apart, in terms of his ability to rise above and have a big-picture view,” Raman said.
“I absolutely loved working with him and I also learned a few things from him there.”
The road to Shanghai
Lachlan first heard about WorldSkills while completing his Certificate III in Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology at TAFE Queensland. When he expressed interest in entering the regional competition, his employer was fully on board.
He went on to win gold at regional level, then silver at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships in Brisbane in June 2025.
Raman’s mentorship began after the national championships. He knew Lachlan had the fundamentals for WorldSkills; what he needed was practice and experience on the right kinds of machinery.
Lachlan also needed to become familiar with how judges assess fault-finding, such as visibly applying lockout/tagout procedures and communicating after shutting down a machine and waiting for it to cool.
Preparation included training courses at TAFE and dealer visits to work on a range of equipment. A budget set aside for Lachlan’s training also funded a trip to a friendly competition in China earlier in the year, which gave him valuable practice and experience with marking schemes.
The Global Skills Challenge in Wollongong in June 2026 was a valuable final hit-out for Lachlan and his fellow Skillaroos before they headed to Shanghai.
Industry experience proves vital
Unlike many international competitors, who were full-time students, Lachlan works in industry. While this made it harder to fit in training on mobile plant, Raman said Lachlan’s real-world experience proved valuable in the finals.
“His troubleshooting skills are practised a lot in the workplace. Lachlan also exhibited thinking on his feet and advanced communication skills,” Raman said.
Lachlan’s employer supported him throughout, allowing him to move to afternoon shifts while he attended morning training courses, so he could stay match fit for the competition without compromising his career beyond WorldSkills.
Mining and automotive skills mobility
AUSMASA Executive Director, Workforce and Innovation, Adrian Lea said he was delighted to attend the WorldSkills 2026 Conference, representing Jobs and Skills Councils alongside Jobs and Skills Australia.
“It was inspiring to see young people mastering their skills at an international level, and to see the cutting edge of global skills and training,” Adrian said.
Adrian said Lachlan’s achievement and skills highlighted the mobility between mining and automotive trades.
“Heavy vehicle technicians keep Australia’s trucks and buses on the road, while mobile plant technicians maintain the excavators, dozers and other heavy machinery that mining and construction operations rely on,” he said.
“While there is crossover between both roles, it’s a credit to Lachlan’s dedication, and Raman’s mentorship that Lachlan was able to upskill and thrive on the world stage.”
Benefits for industry, employers and educators
Now a WorldSkills bronze medallist, Lachlan has come away with much more than a medal. He has formed friendships and connections with competitors and mentors from across Australia and around the world, gained valuable industry exposure and built a range of technical and non-technical skills.
Raman said WorldSkills provides “life-changing” opportunities for young Australians, including the chance to travel and learn from peers and mentors, while also lifting the standing of the automotive industry. He urged employers and educators to support regional competitions, which raise the appeal and profile of the industry as well as of training providers.
“You only began as an apprentice three years ago, and now by the fourth year you are able to represent the country, wearing the colours abroad,” he said.
Lachlan encourages others in the industry to enter a regional skills competition.
“It’s taught me to say yes to whatever opportunities arise because you never know where they might lead you,” he said.
To find out more about regional competitions, visit worldskills.org.au
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