A number of students from the six Further Education Colleges have been triumphant at the recent WorldSkills UK finals held across the UK.
45 students competed in the competitions from across the local Further Education sector, with 20 medals achieved and five taking home gold including;
- Shannon Fearon of Southern Regional College for Beauty Therapy;
- Fiona Hagan, Southern Regional College for Creative Media Make-up;
- Nathan Dane, Belfast Metropolitan College, Industrial Electronics;
- Brennan Wilson and Louie Heath, Northern Regional College for Industrial Robotics;
- Aaron Gillespie, Southern Regional College for Wall and Floor Tiling.
Northern Ireland’s six Further Education Colleges were placed in the top four regions of the UK with two colleges, Southern Regional College and Northern Regional College, placed in the top 10 best performing Colleges.
WorldSkills UK
The annual WorldSkills UK competition provides opportunities for individual students to test their knowledge and skills against the very best across the UK.
Minister for the Economy, Gordon Lyons MLA said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I want to congratulate all of those students who took part in the WorldSkills UK competitions and so ably represented Northern Ireland.
“Raising the standard of skills is a key driver to growing a stronger economy and promoting inward investment as we take on the challenge of boosting the Northern Ireland economy. Competitions such as these enable students to measure their ability and aptitude against others in the same field helping them to progress and develop their skills.
“Well done to all the participants and I have high hopes for those who will now take the next step in representing Northern Ireland and the UK on a global stage. Good Luck to everyone.”
Ken Webb, Chair of the six Further Education Colleges Principal’s Group said: “We are incredibly proud of all our students who travelled and competed in the WorldSkills UK Competitions. Their dedication and talent for their chosen course is a real reflection on the incredible abilities students in further education across Northern Ireland have and we were thrilled to be able to display that on a national level.
“The WorldSkills UK competitions are a fantastic occasion for our students to learn new, innovative ways of carrying out their skilled work while also showcasing their own talents on a UK-wide platform. This gives terrific confidence and opportunities for our students, many of whom use their WorldSkills UK experiences when moving onto university or into employment.
“I would like to congratulate our winning participants and look forward to cheering them on as they have the opportunity to progress to the international WorldSkills competitions in 2022.”
