Newcastle College students were big winners at the annual NCG skills competition, as they competed against students from four other colleges, in the hopes of going through to the regional and national finals.
The Newcastle students won four of the ten prizes at the competition, that had returned for its third year. The students were also competing to be put forward to the WorldSkills UK competition where they will compete on a national level.
The four winners included Courtney Maddison, who won the award for Painting and Decorating for the second year in a row.
She said: “I had a fantastic day competing in the NCG Skills final. Winning for the second year in a row has really boosted my confidence and made me realise that the time and effort I’m putting into my time at college is really paying off! I’m excited for the next competition; the pressure is definitely on."
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Some of the other winners on the day were Marshall Parry in the bricklaying category and Anna Martin for beauty. The students' knowledge and skills were put to test in real work experience environments, whilst being judged by a panel of experts.
The final of the four winners was Harriet Hawdon from Gateshead who won in the Carpentry category.
She said: “It was my first time experiencing an NCG Skills final and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The day allowed me to talk to people from other colleges all over the country and exchange experiences with them.
"Winning felt amazing. I would absolutely love to do it again in the future! I hope to be continuing my studies with Newcastle College and I will take this experience with me to further my career in construction."
These competitions are modelled on the WorldSkills global network, which included over 80 countries, with each hosting training for young people that is done in a competitive way. This format prepares students for the WorldSkills, with the winners and runners up entering the heats.
Scott Bullock, Principal of Newcastle College has spoken about the College's aims when taking part in these competitions, and offered his congratulations to all of the finalists.
“Our aim is to maximise the potential of our students at Newcastle College and arm them with employability skills, so that they can become the North East’s workforce of the future. Skills competitions like these offer a perfect platform for students to put into practice what they’ve learned and learn from other competitors on the day.
"We’re lucky to be part of a national group that can work together to offer a hands-on experience like this for our students. Congratulations to all our finalists and well done to the winners. We wish them the best of luck in qualifying for WorldSkills and for the next step in their career, they’re all fantastic representatives for the college.”
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