Murcian vocational students have achieved a record-breaking performance at the SpainSkills 2026 competition, securing a total of twelve medals and two special recognitions, officials announced Saturday.
The students, representing the Region of Murcia, earned three gold medals, four silver medals, and three bronze medals in a variety of skilled trades. The competition, held at the Ifema fairgrounds in Madrid, drew over 500 participants from across Spain, each having previously won their regional qualifying competitions.
David Iniesta, from the CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, took gold in CNC Fresado. Juan García, representing IES Bartolomé Pérez Casas in Lorca, won gold in Technology of Fashion, while Noel Contreras, of CIFP Carlos III in Cartagena, secured the gold medal in Animation 3D, and Games.
Silver medals were awarded to Amin Mahir (IES Sierra de Carracoy, Murcia) in Plumbing and Heating; Carlos Ruiz (CIFP Politécnico de Murcia) in Electrical Installations; Daniel Muñoz (IES Infanta Elena, Jumilla) in Automotive Technology; and Victoria Ferez (CIFP Politécnico de Murcia) in Socio-Healthcare Assistance.
Antonio José Ortega (IES Sanje, Alcantarilla) earned a bronze medal in Welding, as did Encarnación Padín (CIFP Hespérides, Cartagena) in Hairdressing, and Francisco Javier Carrillo (CIFP Arsenio Sánchez Fremm) in Heavy Vehicle Technology.
In addition to the individual medals, the Region of Murcia also excelled in the exhibition categories. Francisco José Peñalver and Diego Hernández López, both from CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, won gold in Collaborative Robotics, while José Ángel Martínez, of IES Sierra de Carrascoy (Murcia), secured a silver medal in Renewable Energies.
The gold medalists will now represent Spain at the WorldSkills competition in Shanghai in 2026 and EuroSkills in Düsseldorf in 2027. Luis Quiñonero, the Director-General for Vocational Training, Special Education, and Lifelong Learning, highlighted the achievement, stating that the Region had surpassed its previous record from 2024 by three medals, demonstrating the quality of teaching, the dedication of the faculty, and the commitment of the students in the Region’s vocational training programs.
Students from the Region competed in a wide range of disciplines, including mechatronics, CAD design, welding, body repair, plumbing, electronics, web development, electrical installations, industrial control, carpentry, floristry, hairdressing, aesthetics, fashion technology, automotive technology, cooking, restaurant service, automotive painting, landscaping, refrigeration, network administration, socio-healthcare assistance, window dressing, baking, heavy vehicle technology, 3D animation, cloud computing, hotel reception, and integrated robotic systems. Exhibitions also included renewable energies, pharmacy, and collaborative robotics.
The team from the Region of Murcia adopted the motto “Head, Heart and Vocational Training” throughout the competition. Four educators from the region also participated as national evaluators in various competition categories. The participating students were all winners of the regional ‘RMSkills2025’ competition, held in March of last year, which involved 180 students.
