Skills Excellence - West MidlandsOur regional newsletter for skills competitions and vocational careers experiences

As well as updates from the first events in our regional professional development programme for skills competitions, this edition includes inspiring stories about students who have achieved success in recent WorldSkills UK regional competitions.

Many of these competitors will be going on to compete at the national finals which take place at The Skills Show at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham from 13 to 15 November this year.

Through the professional development programme, and with the steer of our Regional World Skills Group, we are aiming to support the wider engagement of colleges, training providers and other organisations in competition activity.

In this edition:

• Regional professional development programme update• SkillBuild Regional Final• Regional Success for colleges in skills competition• Forthcoming CPD Skills workshops and masterclasses

September 2014

Image courtesy of City College Coventry

As you’ll see, not only do learners benefit directly, but competition activity can be used more widely to raise aspirations, enhance employability skills, and improve achievement.

I hope you find the issue interesting and if it encourages you to find out more why not come along to one of the free skills competition CPD sessions AoC West Midlands will be running for all training organisations over the next few months. You’ll find details towards the end of the newsletter.

Best wishesGraham Morley, Principal, South Staffordshire College and chair of the West Midlands WorldSkills Regional Group.

Welcome to the second edition of Skills Excellence - West Midlands, our regional newsletter for skills competitions and vocational careers events.

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Regional Professional Development Programme:An update on events that have taken place so far

Preparing your students for competition activity workshop

On 10th June 2014 the programme was launched with two workshops focusing on construction industry skills.

Neil Collishaw from the Joint Industry Board for Plumbing and Electrical Services explored the planning and timetabling implications of identifying learners who have the potential to compete at World Skills level and Mike Smith from the AoC talked delegates through the wider benefits of competition activity and its impact on teaching and learning.

Developing learning and teaching through competitions and coaching

On 27th June 2014 at Dudley College, staff from across the Region came together to learn about the benefits of competition activity to staff and students and experienced first-hand some of the coaching techniques used by WorldSkills squad coach Kevin Bland.

Improving standards of teaching and learning using Inclusive Skills Competitions

On 16th July Hereward College hosted a workshop focussing on competition activity for LLDD and entry level learners.

Experienced practitioners from Derwen College shared their wealth of expertise around planning and running competitions and Martin Shelton VP of North Warwickshire & Hinckley College explained the cross college approach to competition which has been adopted by his institution.

Participants have found the workshops extremelyvaluable as well as entertaining!

So far four events have taken place as part of the ETF funded programme which is being delivered by AoC West Midlands.

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Jack, aged 19 from Shirley is currently on an Apprenticeship in Plumbing Level 3 and works at both Edwards Plumbing and Heating Supplies Ltd and D.G Lewis Estates Limited, came first in the plumbing competition.

He said: “I am really shocked and surprised that I won the competition! Two years ago I came third so I’m over the moon to come first this year. It is quite a difficult task they give us – they give you a drawing in the morning and

South and City College Birmingham hosted the regional SkillBuild 2014 finals.

Over 100 young construction trainees from colleges from across the region battled it out in their chosen trade on 10 June 2014.

South and City College’s students proved themselves to be top competitors, with three first place wins, and a number of second and thirds as shown in the table below.

Birmingham’s regional heat was the latest of 14 taking place across the UK, with the top 10 competitors from across the 14 heats going through to the national final at the Skills Show at Birmingham’s NEC in November.

During the day the college also invited in local school pupils to come and support the competitors and to have a go at different construction trades, as well as having a number of different employer training and events on also. SkillBuild has taken place for around 40 years, travelling around the country looking for the best in regional talent.

Catherine Bullough, CITB Sector Strategy Manager for the West Midlands region said: “We’re really excited to bring SkillBuild 2014 to Birmingham. There is some great construction talent in the region so we’re looking forward to seeing what our young apprentices can do.”

SkillBuild 2014 Regional Final

Image courtesy of South and City College Birmingham

you have the day to complete it. At first I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to finish it, but I kept my head down and managed to get it done with only a few seconds left.

I didn’t look at what any of the other competitors were doing until the end. I was pleased with the judges’ comments; they said my work was very good, and of a high quality. I hope to make it through to the final now.”

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Skills Competitions Continue To Be Successful For College Students From Across The West Midlands

Birmingham student wins UK Care Competition

South and City College Birmingham student, Tara Smith, fought off students from colleges across the country to win the prize, demonstrating her excellent skills in health and social care.

The competition is the fourth heat for the WorldSkills UK 2014 Health and Social Care Competitions, and was held on the 27 June 2014 at Shipley College in Yorkshire.

The heats have enabled competitors to demonstrate excellence in delivering health care in a challenging competitive environment.

Tara who is studying towards her Health and Social Care Level 3 qualification said: “I can’t put it into words, I was so nervous and I couldn’t have done this without the training and support from my college. This has given me so much confidence and it just shows what you can achieve with dedication.”

Competitors were given life-like scenarios and asked to perform tasks which were marked on their communication, presentation and technical care skills, including providing personal care, checking vital signs, co-working and providing care with empathy and compassion while maintaining client dignity.

Tara will find out later in the year if she has scored a high enough mark out of all the regional winners to compete in the next stage of the competition at The Skills Show at the NEC in November.

Making the awards, Lead Judge Pat Pearson said:

“WorldSkills just gets better and better as a competition and a real showcase for how well social care is carried out. It was a pleasure to observe such committed competitors taking part in this heat at Shipley College and to award prizes to some outstanding care workers and students.”

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Derwen College Inclusive Skills Competition Event

Derwen College is leading the way with skills competitions for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

The College, alongside Natspec and North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, is working closely with WorldSkills UK to ensure all young people who are studying a vocational skill at entry level and level 1 have the opportunity to take part in skills competitions.

On 2 July 2014 Derwen hosted the finals of four inclusive skills competitions:

•Art:“Me,MyselfandI”-EntryLevel3•PottingPlants:EntryLevel1•SandwichMaking:EntryLevel2•VisualMerchandising:EntryLevel2

Competitors came from colleges across the country and South Thames College even took part through a video link. The judging panel for each competition was made up of local and national industry experts including specialists from The Co-operative and Hope House Children’s Hospice.

At a ceremony after the event, trophies funded by WorldSkills UK were presented to the competition winners. Natspec Skills patron, Jane Hatton, spoke at the ceremony. Jane is the Director of Evenbreak a not-for-profit social enterprise which matches jobseekers with disabilities to employers who will value their skills. Jane expressed her excitement about the event and discussed how people with disabilities bring passion and loyalty to a workplace.

Competitors were also enthused about the event. Stella, winner of the Entry Level 2 Visual Merchandising Competition said:

“I felt happy to win. We worked good as a team - it helped me learn about how I might get a job by doing what I would need to do working in a shop”.

Government officials, senior personnel from the world of further education, and disability groups are showing a keen interest in this drive to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to

raise their ambitions.

Louise Keevil, Derwen College’s Director of Corporate Services, said:

“Skills competitions are widely available in mainstream education as it is a well-known fact that they raise learners’ aspirations and achievement levels, which has a positive longer term effect on employment options and outcomes. Here at Derwen we are passionate about extending this opportunity to include learners with learning difficulties and disabilities.”

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South Staffordshire College has been successfully competing in WorldSkills competitions since the College was formed in 2009.

Inspired by the success of former students who have competed in national and international WorldSkills competitions, all learners are encouraged to consider competing in a competition relevant to their area of study.

Dedicated tutors run internal competitions to help identify those with the talent and commitment to represent the College on the national stage.

Over the past year fourteen beauty students competed in WorldSkills UK competitions with three winning first place positions, three winning second place, and one third place.

In addition, Louise Cooper has become the fourth of the College’s floristry students in as many years to be selected for WorldSkills UK squad from which the team to represent the UK at WorldSkills São Paulo in Brazil in 2015 will be selected.

The College hopes she will emulate the success of former beauty student Charlotte Burford who represented WorldSkills UK in Canada in 2008.

Charlotte, who now works in the beauty department at South Staffordshire College, says:

“Competing in World Skills competitions gave me a brilliant opportunity to develop and showcase my skills. It was a dream come true to represent the UK in my specialist area of Advanced Nail Technology, and to win my bronze medal was just amazing.

Students At South Staffordshire College Continue Their WorldSkills Success

I shall always be grateful for the huge amount of support and coaching that my tutors at South Staffordshire College gave me. I love that I get to give something back by coaching our current learners for WorldSkills.”

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Double win for painting and decorating student

A Staffordshire student has landed first place in two key industry competitions just weeks apart.

Hayley Grindon, who studies Level 3 Painting and Decorating at Stoke-on-Trent College, has grabbed a gold medal at the North West regional heat of the UK SkillBuild competition, just weeks after taking first place in the North West heat of the Dulux Apprentice of the Year competition.

Hayley now has to wait to find out the outcome of her latest win, which could see her invited to compete at a national level as part of The Skills Show staged at the NEC in Birmingham later this year.

Hayley, said: “I’ve been in a few competitions over the years and although I’ve won awards, I’ve never come first before. It feels so good to win. At the Dulux competition I was confident I had done enough to get a place near the top, but I was surprised to get first.”

Hayley joined Stoke-on-Trent College in 2011 after gaining an apprenticeship with her godfather’s business. In October 2013, after completing the Level 2 part of her apprenticeship, Hayley set up her own business and is now enjoying being self-employed whilst completing her Level 3 apprenticeship at the College.

She added: “Winning the regional heats has not only given me the extra confidence, but it will give my customers that peace of mind too.

I rang my godfather as soon as the result was announced because he was the one who gave me the chance to do my apprenticeship and has supported my training. He was very proud.”

Tutor Pete Walters, said: “Hayley fought off stiff competition from students at colleges across the North West and we are thrilled that her efforts and talents have been commended by the judges. These competitions can be incredibly tough and to win this accolade is certainly going to help Hayley progress in her career.”

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Hair and Beauty Learners are WorldSkills Winners

Four Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy students at Burton and South Derbyshire College have shown they have the skills to compete on a national stage after achieving success in the WorldSkills regional finals.

Danielle Slattery and Josie Pajor came first and second in the Advanced Beauty category, with hairdressing apprentices Nicola Sharratt and Starr Jones gaining second and third places in the Advanced and Intermediate Hairdressing categories.

During the regional finals, competitors were asked to demonstrate their ability to carry out modern and traditional hairdressing and beauty therapy treatments, all judged by beauty industry experts and professionals.

The learners are now waiting to find out if they have been selected to compete in the WorldSkills finals at The Skills Show in November.

Danielle Slattery, who won first place in the Advanced Beauty category, commented: “I’m really pleased to have come first in the regional finals. Experiences like this are good for our future careers in the hair and beauty industry.”

Beauty Lecturer, Jackie Heaton said: “Congratulations to our learners for their success! The WorldSkills competitions give learners the opportunity to take their skills to the next level and to test their performance against the best of the best from across the country. Taking part in competitions is a great way for learners to gain experience in working to a professional standard and with creative flair in a high pressure situation.”

Hairdressing Lecturer, Debbie Deacon added: “We are all very proud of the achievements of our Worldskills competitors. Competitions like this provide learners with an excellent platform to showcase their flair and passion for the hair and beauty industry”.

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West Midlands represented in UK Squad for WorldSkills São Paulo 2015

There might have been disappointment at this year’s World Cup but the UK’s most talented apprentices and learners are determined to put skills at the top of the league table and deliver Gold at WorldSkills São Paulo 2015.

WorldSkills is the largest international skills competition in the world. Held every two years, the competition sees around 1000 young people, aged 18 to 25-years-old, from all over the world come together to compete for medals in more than 40 different skills. WorldSkills São Paulo 2015 takes place from 11-16 August 2015.

Matthew Hancock, Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:

“The WorldSkills Competition is an opportunity for the UK to showcase and celebrate our young apprentices on the global stage. It goes to show, that for every skill and every vocational area, we can and should celebrate excellence. The young people who have earned a place on Squad UK are ambassadors for our country and demonstrate how high quality apprenticeships can lead to successful careers. I congratulate each and every member of Squad UK.”

The 98 members of Squad UK were selected following three days of intense competition held at four venues across the UK. The competitors were invited to compete in the selection competitions after excelling at the WorldSkills UK National Competitions, the finals of which took place at The Skills Show last November.

Squad UK will now spend the next 11 months training in their skill supported by their training providers, colleges, employers and a dedicated training manager. In May next year the members of Squad UK will compete for a coveted place in the team that will represent the UK at WorldSkills São Paulo 2015.

The squad currently includes nine young people from the West Midlands. We wish them all well and hope to see them on the podium next year!!

Brick Work student Ryan Stevens named in Squad UK for WorldSkills São Paulo 2015

Name Organisation Skill AreaAbigail Moreton Reds Hair Company Hairdressing

Amy Mitchell Newcastle Under Lyme College Health and Social Care

Zoe Rowlinson Warwickshire College Floristry

Alex Elton NWHC College CNC Turning

Jack Higgins Wolverhampton College Sheet Metal Technology

Ryan Murphy KMF Sheet Metal Technology

Ryan Stevens Shrewsbury College Brick Work

Harley Brian KMF Sheet Metal Technology

Louisa Cooper South Staffordshire College Floristry

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The Skills Show - Book here for FREE entry -13 to 15 November 2014 - NEC BirminghamFree to visit, The Skills Show is the nation’s largest skills and careers event, offering inspiring opportunities in skills, training and apprenticeships. Attracting 75,000 visitors, this exciting experience is one of the most popular events of the year.

Book now to guarantee your place and to get faster entry. You can book a place for yourself, or you can act as a lead booker and book on behalf of a group or your family. We look forward to seeing you there! Book now

Over 75,000 visitors annually

69 WorldSkills UK nationalcompetitionfinalsshowcasing vocational excellence

Have A Go experiences for thousands of young

peope and young adults

Conferences sharing best practice in training

and apprenticeships

Over 11 million reached through broadcast media

Over 50 million reached through print media

Image courtesy of Warwickshire College

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Dates for your diaries

Monday 6 October 2014 at Bournville College.A leadership seminar aimed at Quality and Curriculum Directors. Using competition activity as a strategy to move from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’.

Bournville College1 Longbridge LaneBirminghamB31 2AJMap and directions are available on the website.

Monday 20 October 2014 at Solihull College:BlossomfieldCampusSport and leisure industry based competition activity – review of the new CYQ competitions, the benefits, how to enter and future developments.

Solihull CollegeBlossomfield RoadSolihullB91 1SBMap and directions are available on the website.

The online WorldSkills UK Resources Huboffersacomprehensivesetofdownloadableresources,guides,andtoolkitstosupportandofferadviceonthe WorldSkills UK journey.

Alsoavailablearelogos,artwork,andtemplatesforcreatingyourWorldSkillsUK merchandise.

Useful Resources

Wednesday 1 October 2014 atPerformance Through People Walsall Training CentreUnderstanding the benefits of competition activity – an Independent Training Providers Perspective.

Essex TerraceWalsallWest MidlandsWS1 1SQMap and directions are available on the website.

Contact UsTobookyourplace,pleaseemailAoCWestMidlandsRegionalOfficeManager, Yasmin Byrne.

Ifyouwouldliketosendinanyarticlesforinclusioninournextnewsletter,pleasesendallstoriesandaccompanying images to Pal Sohi.

Foranyquestions,commentsorqueriesrelatingtothisprogramme,pleasecontactAoCWestMidlandsRegional CPD Skills Project Manager Jayne Warman.

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