Arnold Shanahan

Mechatronics

  • Region Geelong
  • WorldSkills Accolade 2025 National Gold Medal
  • Employer Dando Electrical
  • Training Institute The Gordon TAFE
  • Local Trainer / Mentor Andy Heath
  • International Expert Damien Sinclair - FESTO

“I started robotics in Year 8 and fell in love with tinkering with electrical things. It helped me discover a passion for building and programming.”

Arnold Shanahan credits both his Electrician father and a high school robotics class for sparking his love of Mechatronics, and that passion has certainly taken him a long way, winning Gold in his skill at the WorldSkills National Championships.

Arnold’s Nationals experience not only culminated in Gold but gave him plenty of fuel for his skill passion. “It was an awesome experience. I enjoyed meeting so many people at the top of their trade, and it was great to see how I compare skills-wise with others my age.”

He describes his proudest moment as a nail-biting one. “It was the final test before time ran out of the last task at Nationals. The relief that it worked after three days of hard work was amazing.”

While he’s pleased with his Mechatronics progress, he’s wise enough to know what he doesn’t know and is keen to continue learning. The same can be said for his work as an apprentice Electrician at Dando Electrical. “It’s such a great company as we do a range of work. There’s always something to learn and it all builds character.”

Arnold is also very grateful for the support his employer has given him, from time off to helping fund his National Championships trip, to his skills foundation. “All of my tool skills, reading drawings, quick thinking, planning, and working through problems come from what I’ve learnt at work.”

Short term, Arnold hopes his WorldSkills achievements will encourage other young Aussies to get involved in Mechatronics so “we can keep up with the world”. Longer-term, he wants to get into designing and programming automated systems but is also pondering an engineering degree once he finishes his apprenticeship.

 

Three words that describe you – Kind, Thoughtful, Curious

 

Mechatronics Team

Teammate: João Marcos Boulomytis Correa

Expert: Damien Sinclair – FESTO