Murcia
Students from the Region of Murcia achieved a record-breaking performance at the SpainSkills 2026 vocational training Olympics, bringing home a total of ten medals and two recognitions in exhibition events. The competition, which concluded on February 28, 2026, showcased the skills of over 500 students from across Spain in 31 official competition categories and three demonstration events.
Three students secured gold medals for the region: David Iniesta, from the CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, in CNC Fresado; Juan García, from IES Bartolomé Pérez Casas (Lorca), in Technology of Fashion; and Noel Contreras, from CIFP Carlos III (Cartagena), in Animation 3D and Games. These gold medalists will now represent Spain at the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 and EuroSkills Düsseldorf 2027 competitions.
Silver medals were awarded to Amin Mahir, of IES Sierra de Carracoy (Murcia), in Plumbing and Heating; Carlos Ruiz, of CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, in Electrical Installations; Daniel Muñoz, of IES Infanta Elena (Jumilla), in Automotive Technology; and Victoria Ferez, of CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, in Sociosanitary Care.
The bronze medalists included Antonio José Ortega, from IES Sanje (Alcantarilla), in Welding; Encarnación Padín, from CIFP Hespérides (Cartagena), in Hairdressing; and Francisco Javier Carrillo, from CIFP Arsenio Sánchez Fremm, in Heavy Vehicle Technology. The success highlights the growing importance of vocational training in Spain.
In addition to the individual medals, the Region of Murcia also excelled in exhibition events, earning gold in Collaborative Robotics with Francisco José Peñalver and Diego Hernández López, both from CIFP Politécnico de Murcia, and a silver medal in Renewable Energies with José Ángel Martínez, from IES Sierra de Carrascoy (Murcia).
Luis Quiñonero, the Director General of Vocational Training, Special Regime Teaching and Lifelong Learning, emphasized the region’s achievement, stating that “the Region has surpassed the record achieved in the 2024 edition, with three more medals, which demonstrates the quality of teaching, the teaching staff and the involvement of the students in Vocational Training offered in the Region.”
Students competed in a wide range of disciplines, including mechatronics, CAD design, welding, auto body repair, plumbing, electronics, web development, electrical installations, industrial control, carpentry, floristry, hairdressing, fashion technology, automotive technology, cooking, restaurant service, auto painting, landscaping, refrigeration, network administration, and more.
The regional team adopted the motto “Head, Heart and FP” throughout the competition. Four teachers from the Region of Murcia also participated as national evaluators in various competition categories. The participating students were all winners of the regional ‘RMSkills2025’ phase, which took place in March of last year and involved 180 students.
