Competitor to specialist trainer: Isabelle Barron’s incredible WorldSkills journey

Isabelle (Izzy) Barron first started her journey with WorldSkills four years ago as a student at Sheffield Hallam University. She quickly climbed the ranks of the digital construction category, first competing in the WorldSkills UK regional and then national finals that secured her spot in EuroSkills 2023 where she won the gold medal. That win guaranteed her entry to WorldSkills Lyon 2024 where she placed a solid sixth position and won a Medallion for Excellence.

After graduation and during intense training, Izzy started her full-time role as a digital construction consultant at WSP. But she isn’t putting her WorldSkills experience in the rearview mirror. Izzy has joined WorldSkills UK as a specialist trainer for the next crop of UK competitors. Here, she shares her own experiences and how skills competitions transformed her both personally and professionally.

Izzy: It was amazing. I felt a lot more chilled this time around. I wasn’t as nervous, and the Autodesk Construction Cloud, Revit, and Navisworks tasks were accessible and doable. With competitors from 17 countries, there were a lot more people to meet and everyone was incredibly friendly. It’s just such a unique environment where everyone can share their knowledge and support each other even though you are competing.

Of course, my goal was to win a medal. But when you get to the point where you’re waiting for the results and you’ve given it your all, I felt dead chuffed with getting anything. I was super pleased to come in sixth place and win the Medallion for Excellence.

Izzy: I didn’t want it to end as a competitor, but you can’t do it forever. I really wanted to stay part of the WorldSkills environment and family. I have had the most amazing experience with WorldSkills, and I want the next group of people to have the same experience and pass on that knowledge so the next time around we can rank even higher.

Izzy: Squad UK selection was completed, and we have three new members who are brilliant. They're all very keen and involved, which is great. I recently did a training on Autodesk Construction Cloud, model coordination, and design collaboration with them. They’re learning fast, and it will be great to see their growth as they both collaborate and compete for a spot in the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 digital construction category.

I’m also involved in the Skills Champions program with other former WorldSkills UK competitors where we do outreach and talks. As part of this role, I’ve recently spoken at a bootcamp session on resilience alongside other Team UK members from Lyon 2024. You don’t realize how important resilience is until you're struggling during competition.

Izzy: It's very strange being on the other side and having restraint. In a competition, our team members may ask questions, and I’ll have to tell them I can’t answer that right now. There are certain things you can help answer. But it can be quite frustrating when you watch them make a mistake and not be able to tell them how to fix it because they’re locked in that environment.

As a competitor, I didn’t appreciate how much work goes into the training side—writing and running competitions and doing all the marking and paperwork that goes along with it. It’s all worth it to see the team members grow and learn more.

Izzy: There’s the personal aspect of staying involved, but I want to make sure the technical and performance knowledge I gained doesn’t get lost. It’s also important to me because digital construction isn’t well known to young people. Most people discover BIM roles later in their careers rather than before university. It’s great to be able to help push the next generation so that they have that awareness of what's out there, and they can develop their skill in that area way earlier.

Izzy: I think the change in myself has been a big one. I’m still quite a shy person, but it’s much different in comparison to when I first started. I’m now much more confident and vocal, not only in my skills but also in my own work and decision-making.

This has really helped my trajectory with my role at WSP. Within the first year, I was put on some big projects and now I’m starting to lead my first project. WorldSkills unlocked that confidence and knowledge base for me.

Izzy: I’m a digital construction consultant, and I’m helping to build all the digital requirements on projects and making sure we're meeting clients’ goals and proposing new ideas, which is really exciting.

I’ve worked mostly on hospitals and office buildings, but I’m also working on a large sustainability-focused project called Eden Project Morecambe located on the coast in Morecambe, Lancashire. It’s a unique project, and the sustainability side is right up my street.

Izzy: I’m not the same person as when I started participating in WorldSkills. I can’t even quantify the impact that it’s had on myself and my career. It opened doors I didn’t know existed and made me realize I can do whatever I put my mind to.

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