Toronto, Ontario -- A veteran auto body educator is leading Team Canada to victory at the 2026 World Skills Competition in Shanghai.
“I received word this week that I have the honour of representing Canada as the World Skills expert for auto body in Shanghai in 2026,” wrote Bill Speed in a social media post. “I look forward to training our next competitor.”
The 2026 World Skills will be held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27. As the world’s largest skills competition, it will bring together young people, industry, education and government leaders from around the world to advance technical and vocational education and training.
Speed has worked in the auto repair sector since 1978. After receiving a teaching degree from the University of Toronto, he began teaching auto body repair at Danforth Collegiate, where he remained until 2017.
In 1992, he also accepted a secondary position with the Toronto District School Board facilitating auto repair and painting competitions. From 1992 to 2017, Speed also served as the chair of the TDSB Skills Competition. In 1995, he also became Skill’s Canada’s technical chair for auto collision.
Speed has also served as a national technical committee member for the auto collision programs at Canadian Skills Competition since 2006.
This isn’t the first time Speed has been chosen to serve as Canada’s auto body expert at World Skills. He served in the same role at the 2017 event in the United Arab Emirates, at the 2019 event in Russia and the 2022 event in Switzerland.
The news Speed would be returning to World Skills was hailed by members of Canada’s collision repair sector on social media.
“Bill [is] one of the most dedicated Skills volunteers I know,” wrote Stefano Liessi, training and curriculum coordinator for Color Compass University. “Congratulations on the position, you will serve the contestants well.”
