Fifteen students from Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland among ‘best in the UK’ in industry skills

_{Main picture: SRC student Annabell Hughes from Loughgall, Armagh who won Gold in the Culinary Arts competition}

Fifteen students from our Further Education Colleges have been named among the best in the UK in industry skills after winning at WorldSkills UK.

Twenty-five students from Southern Regional College, South West College and Belfast Metropolitan College took part in the National Finals in Manchester last week, with more than half placing on the winners’ podium.

Five students took home the gold, three took silver and six took bronze as well as one highly commended during the winners’ ceremony on Friday night.

_{SRC students Caolan McCartan from Camlough, Newry and Patrick Sheerin from Portadown, joint Gold winners in the Industry competition}

WorldSkills UK is a partnership between education providers, industry and the UK government to champion skill sets and raise industry standards. The competition celebrates the best of young talent and even provides young people with the opportunity to progress to European and WorldSkills competition series.

The National Finals were attended by leading employers, industry experts as well as College representatives and observed the apprentices and learners in action. Students from the Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland competed in industries including Electrical Installation, Plumbing, Automation, Beauty, Culinary Arts and Mechatronics.

_{SWC student David Bateman-Smith, who won Gold in the Plumbing competition}

The national finals are a culmination of nine months of hard work and training for the young people who competed. The finals assess the key attributes that employers are looking for in candidates including practical skills, ability to work under pressure, critical thinking and communication skills.

Southern Regional College enjoyed another successful year, with 10 winners including the five gold medal winners, they ranked second in the overall league table.

_{SRC student Ruth Douglas from Banbridge, who won Gold in the Lab Technician category}

2024 WorldSkills UK winners from Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland:

[Competition, Student Name, College and Employer]

Gold

• [Plumbing] David Bateman-Smith, SWC (Technology and Skills Centre, Enniskillen), Ashley McFarland

• [Industry 4.0] Caolan McCartan, SRC, Collins Aerospace

• [Industry 4.0] Patrick Sheerin, SRC, AJ Power

• [Laboratory Technician] Ruth Douglas, SRC, Almac

• [Culinary Arts] Annabell Hughes, SRC

Silver

• [Automotive Refinishing] Ben Robertson, SRC, G&H Body Repair

• [Mechatronics] John Doherty and Jason McVerry, SRC Team 1, Norbrook Laboratories and Red Rock Machinery

Bronze

• [Electrical Installation] Jonathan Gough, SRC, M D Electrics

• [Plumbing] Jack Fenton, Belfast Met, Ian Reid

• [Automation] Andrius Simkus and Luke Taylor, SWC Team 2, Mallaghan Engineering and Metfin Engineering

• [Mechatronics] Ross Graham and Carter McKnight, SRC Team 2, Re-Gen Robotics and Randox

Highly Commended

• [Electronic Security Systems] Harrison Jones, Belfast Met, SCAN Alarms

Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:

“Congratulations to this year’s medal winners. Being named the best in your skill is a tremendous achievement and reflects the dedication of teachers in our colleges, universities and training providers, who are the bedrock of our skills systems across the UK.

“Our competition-based training programme, underpinned by global insights, plays a vital role in raising standards in teaching and assessment in apprenticeships and technical education. Working with our partners across industry and education, we are championing the emerging skills that are critical to drive investment and business growth in the UK.”

Further Education Colleges were also represented at the recent SkillBuild National Final 2024 in Milton Keynes, where bricklaying apprentice Matthew Carswell from Southern Regional College and carpentry apprentice Jeremiasz Guzik from Northern Regional College both came third in their competitions.