College leads worldskills uk medal table for foundation skills

Students from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) have been celebrating after they collected 12 medals at the national WorldSkills UK finals putting the college at the top of the table for foundation skills in the UK. The medal-winning competitors discovered that they had won five Gold, one Silver and six Bronze medals overall as the results were announced at ceremonies in Manchester on Friday 17 November.

In the foundation skills competitions, a medals ceremony at The Manchester College saw Gold medals presented to Sophie Trevitt for catering, Keira Paterson for restaurant service, and Jade Oakley, Lee Barnett and William Clark for media. Collecting a Silver medal, Shannon Renshaw triumphed in the motor vehicle competition, and Bronze medals were awarded to Ashton Lewis for catering and Sam Mannion for health and social care.

In the higher-level skills competition, at an event hosted by Edith Bowman at the Bridgwater Hall in Manchester, NWSLC students William Race, Nathaniel Hale and Daniel Fleming were awarded Bronze medals for their digital media production skills while Jess Knight won Bronze for graphic design.

In total, 19 students from NWSLC travelled to the North West to compete at The Manchester College, Wigan & Leigh College and Trafford College with 400 of their peers from all over the UK who tested their skills in over 50 competitions for the chance to win Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of NWSLC, who is also Chair of WorldSkills UK, said, “This is a fantastic result for our students, and we are delighted to have excelled in the foundation skills categories in particular as these were first conceived by NWSLC in 2015 when they were originally known as ‘inclusive skills’ competitions.

“These competitions were designed to raise aspirations and motivate our Level 1 students to build their confidence and self-esteem and to improve their employability skills. We were also keen to infuse learning with excitement and combine the achievement of qualifications with success in competitions. As we see in these latest results, students often go on to exceed expectations based on their prior learning and are able to demonstrate mastery of a skill and enjoy the comradeship of competing with their peers.

“Congratulations to all our students who worked so hard to achieve such fantastic results. Special thanks are due to their tutors who have helped to keep them on track and provided them with so much support and encouragement.”

Speaking to FE Week at the awards ceremony, Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive of WorldSkills UK said, “Ben Blackledge, chief executive of WorldSkills UK said: “This is a life-changing moment for these young people. They are the new generation of high-flyers that will give UK employers a competitive edge.

“Our finals not only celebrate the best in young talent, but also provide a vital opportunity to see how skill development in the UK stacks up both domestically and against our international neighbours.”