COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE WINNERS!
By Rosie Fearn, Director, The Lancashire Colleges
The winners of the first ever Lancashire Colleges’ Skills Competition Programme have been announced.
This March, some of Lancashire’s most talented young people took part in a series of competitions testing themselves against teams from across the area and showcasing their skills to local employers and business-owners.
Our inaugural Lancashire Colleges’ Skills Competition Programme took place over an action-packed fortnight and nine different venues, making the most of the amazing facilities at our local colleges.
I’d like to thank the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub and Future U who sponsored us this year. I’d also like to thank the many business-leaders, awarding organisations and others who volunteered their time as judges including Vitrex, Addison Precision, Chorley Group Nissan, Nybble and VTCT Group.
Nearly 300 students competed in teams to show the judges their skills by undertaking technical challenges. The stakes were high, the winning team in each competition had the honour of taking a brand-new trophy back to their college; nearly 100 Gold and Silver Medals were awarded while just 27 students won a ‘Rising Star’ Medal as the judges thought they stood out from the crowd.
Every single student did their college, their tutors and Lancashire proud. They really enjoyed showing the skills they have developed, they worked in teams and supported each other under pressure. Most of all they showed
First Place
us, and the judges, what talented young people they are. We asked our students for one word to describe their experience; they said it was “amazing”, “fantastic”, “character building”, “challenging” and “a massive achievement”.
As well as showcasing their technical skills our students demonstrated qualities such as time- management, problem-solving and team work; the competitions also helped to build their confidence and resilience. Our employer-judges were really impressed by what they saw, one said: “If this is the calibre of college students then I would offer them all a job if I could.”
We know that Lancashire’s employers really value these skills and I would encourage every employer to think about how you can build your future workforce by working with your local college.
You can do this in many ways, for example by offering work experience or apprenticeship opportunities. You could come to speak to our students about their career options or arrange a visit to your business.
Our colleges can also create bespoke and flexible training packages to help you to build the skills of your current workforce, helping to grow your business.
The Lancashire Colleges’ Skills Competition Programme 2024 – Results Competition Automotive Childcare
Blackburn College
Health and Social Care Engineering Sport
Young Enterprise Hair and Beauty Digital
Construction
West Lancashire College Nelson & Colne College West Lancashire College Runshaw College
Accrington & Rossendale College Blackpool & The Fylde College Nelson & Colne College Burnley College
Second Place
Blackpool & The Fylde College Blackburn College Blackburn College Runshaw College
Nelson & Colne College Burnley College Preston College Preston College
Accrington & Rossendale College
Event Sponsor: Sara Gaskell Manager at Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub
“What an incredible initiative to be part of! The competitions truly showcased the remarkable young talent thriving in our region, witnessing them exhibit exceptional employability skills which are highly sought after by Lancashire employers was truly inspiring.”
Digital Judge: Mizan Muhammad Head of education ICT at Nybble
“The competition was truly impressive; the organisation was exceptional and the skillsets showcased by students and their tutors were remarkable. The competition served as a fantastic miniature version of our dynamic industry allowing students to be inventive, solve problems and test their abilities. They were actively coding, collaborating, and competing like tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
Engineering Judge: Mark Verdon Managing director at Addison Precision
“I was privileged to be invited on the judging panel. Congratulations to all that took part and to those students that shone on the day; based on the talent on show during the competition I’d say the future of engineering is in safe hands.”
Lancashire’s Colleges help more than 60,000 young people and adults to learn and develop new skills every year and work with more than 9,000 employers making sure they have the skilled workforce they need.
If you would like to find out more visit
tlc.ac.uk/member-colleges or contact your local college. LANCASHIREBUSINES SV
IEW.CO.UK
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