WorldSkills Jamaica and Studica Robotics host skilled talent at a five-day training camp

The five-day invitational training camp, held in St Ann, Jamaica, brought together Competitors and Experts from Jamaica, Barbados, Brazil, China, and Singapore. The highlighted skills, Autonomous Mobile Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems, are among the 64 skill competitions featured in Shanghai this September, and both are areas where industry demand is currently outpacing the supply of trained talent.

For Studica Robotics, the camp is part of a larger strategy to build a pipeline of skilled talent. Robotics and drone technology are moving from niche specialisms into mainstream industrial and commercial use, and WorldSkills Global Partner Studica has a direct stake in ensuring a generation of skilled operators and technicians exists to meet that demand.

Dwayne Bent, Technical Delegate for WorldSkills Jamaica, said, “On day one, they were able to unbox their kit and identify parts and familiarize themselves with the environment. They had an opportunity to connect with each other, integrate, share ideas, and strategize.”

After this familiarization, they moved through an intensive programme covering assembly and system setup through to programming, navigation, flight, testing, and then a final assessment and evaluation. Experts were also guided through competition assessment frameworks.

The camp reflects WorldSkills Jamaica’s drive to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) locally, using international standards and partnerships to bring world-class exposure to its developing talent and raise standards across its wider TVET system.

The partnership with Studica Robotics brought important international expertise to the camp. Derek Murphy is General Manager at Studica Robotics and attended the week-long training. He underlined the broader significance of the two skill areas, noting that Unmanned Aerial Systems currently ranks as the number one emerging skill worldwide.

Mr Murphy said, “We are seeing more requests for talent in this field from everywhere in the world. Training like this is going to help close the industrial labour gap, it’s going to empower our youth, and elevate standards of Technical and Vocational Education and Training.”

During the week, participants expanded the development of their non-technical skills. Mr Bent used his experience of competing at WorldSkills Competitions to highlight to participants how important these life skills are. He said, “When we look back on our performance over the years, there are some areas that have fallen short. Things like your workmanship, your cleanliness, your organization, your interaction, your communication skills with compatriots, as well as the skills competition manager. All of these add up to lots of marks.”

For the Competitors themselves, the experience was both demanding and inspiring. Antonio Rolong, who will be competing in Autonomous Mobile Robotics for WorldSkills Jamaica, reflected, “It was simultaneously stressful and informative. We really learned a lot of things that we did not know or expect to learn. I think it’s good that we had the experience. It’s more preparation for the actual competition in September.”

Omar Cockett, competing in Unmanned Aerial Systems for WorldSkills Jamaica, put that preparation to the test immediately: he placed second in a friendly challenge at the end of the week. Rather than treat it as a finish line, he’s using it as a diagnostic, flagging time management as the one variable that will make or break his run in Shanghai.

Find out more about how Members are preparing for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.