Red Deer Polytechnic welder to compete at WorldSkills in Shanghai
Lucas Stang, a welding apprentice from Red Deer Polytechnic, will represent Canada at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition beginning Sept. 23 in Shanghai.
Why it matters
Stang's performance in Shanghai will reflect on Red Deer Polytechnic's trades training program, which has repeatedly produced national and international welding medalists.
Lucas Stang, a welding apprentice at Red Deer Polytechnic, is heading to Shanghai to compete in the 2026 WorldSkills Competition, which runs from Sept. 23. Stang qualified after winning gold at both the Skills Canada Alberta Provincial and Skills Canada National competitions in May 2025, contributing to RDP's seventh national welding gold in eight years.
Since last September, Stang has trained at RDP, ramping up from eight-hour weekdays to 10-to-12-hour days as the competition approached. His preparation covers the four major arc-welding processes—MIG, TIG, Stick and Flux-Cored—since WorldSkills events can alter project specifics by up to 30 per cent. Over three days he will complete X-ray-quality welds, build a steel pressure vessel able to hold 1,000 psi, and finish aluminum and stainless-steel projects.
In August, Stang won the American Welding Society/Lincoln Global Skills Challenge in Alabama, using similar equipment and time constraints as a tune-up for Shanghai. RDP welding instructor and Skills Coach Lee Yasinski said Stang's progress has been rapid compared with international rivals who train for years with dedicated coaching staff.
Stang follows RDP alumnus Ben Rainforth, who won WorldSkills bronze in 2024. Stang and Yasinski depart for China on Sept. 18 ahead of the competition's opening.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.