The wins have just kept coming for William Nickl and Connor Beisler after the duo both successfully claimed podium finishes at the Global Skills Challenge.

The international competition, which serves as a precursor to WorldSkills, was held in June and is designed to test the Australian Skillaroos team against competitors from the best countries in each skillset.

After two days of competition Connor came home with the silver medal in the bread competition and William claimed bronze in pastry.

Connor said preparing for two international competitions at the same time was a huge challenge, and involved long hours training alongside work.

“The two days of competition were designed to test our skills across a variety of bakery products while being limited in ingredients and equipment, not to mention the tight timeframes to get everything completed,” he said.

“Some of the breads we had to produce were sourdoughs, baguettes, stollens, croissants, brioche and a decorative display piece.

“I finished second out of six countries, which was a great achievement for myself at my first international event.”

William said he had approached the competition preparation in the same way as any other: by starting off with the designs of the showpiece and the flavour profiles of the tasting items before completing multiple timed run-throughs to ensure both his timing and workflow were on point.

“It definitely isn’t easy preparing for two international competitions with a four-month timespan, but the knowledge and skills I’ve learnt over this time is well worth it,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to go against the other competitors but I am happy with the podium finish and ready to work hard over the next few months.”

The wins are a continuation of success in recent years for the duo, which has included claiming the 2024 Excellence in Baking titles alongside gold at the WorldSkills Australia competition last year and also representing Australia as part of the 2025 ANZBake team where they successfully defended the title against New Zealand.

Now Connor and William are preparing to jet off to Shanghai, China, in September for WorldSkills.

Connor said although spending almost all your spare time training isn’t what most people would see as fun, with hard work comes success.

“Without the adversities that come with training our team wouldn’t be ready to compete at an international level,” he said.

“[Other apprentices] should use every opportunity you have to learn and take every opportunity with both hands and don’t give up. Apprenticeships can be tough but once you have finished your qualification there are so many great businesses and opportunities out there within our industry.

“When I started my apprenticeship I didn’t even know competitions existed and now I’m heading to Shanghai to represent my country in a trade I love.”

It’s a sentiment William echoes.

“Say yes to doing competitions. I have done many different competitions and the knowledge I have learnt is extraordinary. It gives you the confidence to keep striving in our industry,” he said.

WorldSkills will be held in Shanghai, China, from September 22-27, 2026.