Local welder readies for global test after string of Alberta and national wins
A Red Deer Polytechnic apprentice who helped secure the institution’s seventh national gold in eight years is preparing to take his welding skills to the world stage.
Lucas Stang, a welding apprentice at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), earned gold at both the Skills Canada Alberta provincial competition and Skills Canada National Competition in May 2025. Since then, Stang and RDP welding instructor and Skills coach Lee Yasinski have been intensively training for the 2026 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China.
“After nationals, I took the summer off and then we started training at RDP in September,” Stang said, describing a regimen that ramped up to lengthy daily sessions. Early in the program the pair trained about eight hours a day, Monday to Friday. By May their schedule expanded to roughly 10 to 12 hours a day.
“First place was a good accomplishment. It builds confidence.” — Lee Yasinski, RDP welding instructor and Skills coach
The training emphasises mastery of the four major arc-welding processes that WorldSkills requires: Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Stick and Flux-Cored welding. Stang said his preparation targets project types likely to appear in Shanghai, while acknowledging WorldSkills organisers may alter assignments by up to 30 per cent.
- Day 1: five x-ray welds that must be immaculate internally.
- Day 2: a steel pressure vessel welded with MIG, TIG, Stick and Flux-Cored methods that must hold 1,000 psi.
- Day 3: aluminium and stainless-steel projects.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 8 hours/day initially; increased to 10–12 hours/day by May |
| Processes | MIG, TIG, Stick, Flux-Cored |
| Major tests | X-ray welds; 1,000 psi pressure vessel; aluminium & stainless projects |
Beyond the WorldSkills schedule, Stang and Yasinski sought competitive experience in the United States. From Aug. 8 to 15, 2026, Stang competed at the American Welding Society/Lincoln Global Skills Challenge in Alabama and finished in first place against competitors from Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Switzerland and the United States.
Yasinski said the Alabama event offered a valuable simulation of the demands Stang will face in Shanghai. The projects, time limits and equipment closely resembled what WorldSkills competitors will encounter, giving the apprentice a preview of a high-pressure, international environment.
“We have a general idea about what the projects will be at WorldSkills, so I have been training in those areas,” Stang said, adding that the experience abroad helped sharpen both technique and composure.
For Red Deer Polytechnic the sustained record at Skills Canada underlines a broader strength in skilled trades training. The welding program’s run of seven national golds in eight years is a marker of institutional consistency and reflects the intensive coaching and facility investment behind local apprenticeship pathways.
Those pathways matter to the Prairie economy, where welding skills are in steady demand across energy, fabrication, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. Apprentices who compete at national and international levels gain experience under test conditions that employers view as meaningful proof of competence.
As Stang finalises preparations for Shanghai, the Red Deer training centre will remain a focal point for the kind of hands-on instruction that builds both skill and reputation. With months of concentrated effort behind him and a recent international victory to bolster confidence, Stang will represent Red Deer Polytechnic and the city on an unmistakable global stage.
Local employers and trades supporters will be watching in November as the WorldSkills competition tests not only technical ability, but the training systems that produced a competitor from Red Deer.
What’s next: Stang will continue his intensive training at RDP leading into the 2026 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, where he will demonstrate multiple arc-welding processes under international exam conditions.
