VET NATIONAL TEACHING &
LEARNING CONFERENCE 2026

Arnold Shanahan is an apprentice Electrician at Dando Electrical, training through The Gordon TAFE in Geelong. His love of Mechatronics was sparked by a Year 8 robotics class and a father who worked as an electrician – a combination that set him on a path of building, programming, and problem-solving. Arnold credits his employer not only with practical skills such as reading technical drawings and quick thinking under pressure, but also with the support that made his journey to the national stage possible. He claimed Gold at the 2025 WorldSkills National Championships in Mechatronics, describing the final nail-biting moments of the competition as his proudest achievement to date. Kind, thoughtful, and curious, Arnold hopes his success will encourage more young Australians to pursue Mechatronics. He will compete alongside teammate João Marcos Boulomytis Correa at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.