Dundalk IT graduate wins national WorldSkills title

Leah Glass, a 23-year-old Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) civil engineering graduate from Ardee, Co. Louth, was recently named winner of the Digital Infrastructure Design competition at WorldSkills Ireland 2025, beating strong rivals from Sligo and Galway.

The final took place in Dublin’s RDS, where nearly 30,000 students gathered to explore careers and watch 180 finalists compete across 35 national contests. Digital Infrastructure Design, the discipline underpinning modern IT, centres on creating secure, scalable systems that keep information connected and businesses running.

Reflecting on her win, Leah said: “I honestly couldn’t believe it and I can only imagine my expression when my name was called as I was in pure shock. I am so proud of myself for putting the work in and I was honoured to compete with three other amazing competitors who gave me a run for my money!” 

Leah is currently working as a graduate engineer in Glanua, a water and wastewater design and build specialist.  At present, she is on her first rotation, working on upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant and is really enjoying seeing the project come to life.

Leah first applied to WorldSkills in 2024, when the idea was presented to her along with her classmates by their lecturer Donal McMorland. She grabbed the chance to test herself and put her skills to the test: “I won’t say no to any opportunity! Every day is a learning day and I thought this competition would push me in my knowledge,” she said. Having made it to the final round in 2024, Leah was determined to give the competition another go and come back armed with even more knowledge this year.

“I learned so much and it was really enjoyable, if you take out the late nights studying,” She laughed. “I am delighted I competed again, as I have shown myself that hard work can pay off, you just have to be patient and learn from your mistakes.”

The competition was held over three days, with the Digital Infrastructure Design category broken in to two parts each day. The programme was structured around short, focused questions followed by a larger project task. Each day emphasised a different aspect of civil engineering design including road design fundamentals and applications, pipe network and drainage modelling, and earthwork volumes and clash detection. Participants progressed from core skills to complex, integrated tasks.

Leah’s college course had provided an invaluable foundation for participating in the competition, however she still had to apply herself to build up other knowledge and skills. She was familiar with Civil 3D, a comprehensive civil engineering design and documentation software, having been introduced to it in the second year of her studies at DkIT through the Transportation Module, and then later on that year through the Surveying Module.  

“I had a foundation in Civil 3D from college, but I needed to build on that knowledge,” Leah reflected. “I taught myself AutoCAD’s Storm and Sanitary Analysis as well as Navisworks through online tutorials and by practising past questions. I spent countless hours on YouTube—it’s incredible how much quality material is available there!”

Leah had a fantastic support team, who answered questions when needed and encouraged her throughout the process: “My lecturer, Donal, and Tommy Coyne, one of the competition examiners, were a huge help with any queries, their focus was on helping me learn and take pride in my work, regardless of the competition and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Being the only woman in the competition never deterred her. As a female engineer, it’s a situation she’s well accustomed to—and one she insists has never affected her determination to succeed.

“You’re not treated any differently, and everyone genuinely wants you to do well—from competitions to college, and now in my career. You’ve worked just as hard as anyone else to get here, so I never shy away from being one of the few women in the room.”

Leah’s journey through WorldSkills has not only strengthened her technical abilities but also her confidence in what lies ahead. As she continues to develop her career with Glanua, she hopes to inspire other young engineers to take every opportunity that comes their way.

“It is a lot of dedication but regardless of whether you come home with a medal or not, you learn so much,” she said. “Putting yourself into an uncomfortable position can only push you forward in the industry and expand your personal growth. Meeting new people, learning about new software and experiencing WorldSkills Ireland is definitely worth the hard work and late nights.”