A young Banteer man who began his career assembling products at EPS Group in Mallow is preparing to represent Ireland on the world stage this September, when he travels to China to compete at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
21-year-old Leon Doody will represent Ireland in the Retail Sales com-petition, bringing him up against some of the most talented young people from around the world in an international competition designed to showcase excellence in vocational skills.
It marks a remarkable progression for Leon, whose career with Mallow-headquartered EPS Group began as a Transition Year student on placement from Millstreet Community School, to returning after he finished his Leaving Certificate studies as a General Operator on the company’s assembly line.
For EPS, apprenticeships are a significant and important part of how the company engages their team members from a young age, with the apprenticeship route providing a wide variety of options for young men and women coming out of Leaving Certificate to further their careers in addition to the traditional options most consider – Leon’s journey is a testament to this.
The Retail Sales Appren-ticeship is a relatively new apprenticeship programme over the past number of years, but one which EPS has embraced with an ongoing programme of apprentices participating in the programme.
A move into sales wasn’t something Leon had originally planned, but he jumped at the opportunity when he heard about the apprenticeship. “I asked whether there was an opportunity for me to do it,” Leon explains. “I’ve been loving it ever since.”
That initiative would ultimately take Leon in a completely new direction.
Over the last two years, Leon has successfully completed the Sales Apprenticeship programme while developing his skills on the job with EPS, gaining practical experience working with customers alongside the academic element of the programme.
It was during his studies at Tipperary Education and Training Board that his teacher, Mairead Clohessy, recognised Leon’s potential and encouraged him to enter WorldSkills Ireland in 2025.
The competition tests much more than a competitor’s ability to simply ‘sell’ a product. Participants face a series of realistic retail scenarios, requiring them to quickly understand unfamiliar products, identify customer needs, communicate their benefits and respond confidently to questions and challenges.
Leon rose to the occasion, securing a medal at the national competition while representing both Tipperary ETB and EPS Group. His performance subsequently put him on the path towards selection for Team Ireland and the opportunity to compete internationally in Shanghai.
For Leon, many of the skills being tested are the same ones he has come to enjoy using every day in his role at EPS. “Every day I meet new people, and the different stories you hear and the laughs you’d have with them are amazing,” he says.
EPS Group Products Manager Anthony McCarthy says Leon’s progression from the assembly line to representing Ireland is a source of enormous pride for the company. “Leon has taken to sales like a duck to water. We are incredibly proud of the journey he has made in such a short space of time – from putting himself forward for the apprenticeship, to the way he applied himself to his studies and now representing Ireland on the international stage.
“What has been particularly impressive is how naturally Leon has taken to working with our customers. He has a genuine ease with people, he’s eager to learn and he picks things up incredibly quickly. Leon created this opportunity for himself by having the confidence to put his hand up in the first place, and he has grabbed every opportunity since. Everyone at EPS will be very proudly supporting him when he takes to the WorldSkills stage in Shanghai.”
Mairead Clohessy says his ability and personality made Leon a natural candidate for WorldSkills. “Leon stood out as someone who could take what he was learning and apply it naturally in a practical setting. He has a great ability to engage with people, listen to what they need and communicate with confidence, and those qualities are hugely important in Retail Sales. I felt WorldSkills would give him an opportunity to challenge himself and demonstrate those skills and it has been wonderful to see just how far he has taken that opportunity.”
Leon is now preparing for the biggest stage of his journey to date, as he prepares to travel to WorldSkills Shanghai which brings together young competitors from countries across the globe to demonstrate their expertise across a wide range of skilled professions.
His route there has been anything but conventional but he is really looking forward to flying the flag for Ireland. “You see soccer players representing their country abroad and you never think you could get the chance to do the same, so this is like a dream come true in that sense”, says Leon.
For EPS, Leon’s achievement is also an example of what can happen when practical workplace experience is combined with education and an opportunity to progress. Another student who came through the Transition Year Pro-gramme at Millstreet Community School and worked for EPS post Leaving Cert has gone on to become a commercial pilot – both men are excellent examples of the various avenues young people can take as they progress their careers.
For Leon, however, the focus now turns to Shanghai – and the chance to put the skills he has developed in Cork to the test against the best young Retail Sales competitors in the world.