Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) has been recognised by WorldSkills UK as a Centre of Excellence, as a number of its students reach the regional, national qualifier and national final stages of this year’s WorldSkills UK competitions.
The Centre of Excellence programme, delivered by WorldSkills UK in partnership with awarding organisation NCFE, supports colleges to develop technical education through teacher training, collaboration with industry and access to specialist masterclasses.
NSCG said the recognition would help it continue to deliver technical education that meets the needs of employers.
Mark Kent, Director of Professional Studies at NSCG, said: “Working even closer with WorldSkills UK will give NSCG students even more opportunities to challenge themselves and showcase their talents on a national and potentially even international stage.
“Being recognised by WorldSkills UK as a Centre of Excellence not only consolidates our strong reputation as one of the highest performing colleges in the country, it also demonstrates our appetite to further expand the opportunities we provide to staff and students to broaden their skills to meet the contemporary demands of a wide range of industries.”
Among the students representing NSCG in this year’s WorldSkills UK competitions is Stafford College hospitality student Molly Standring, who competed in the Restaurant Service regional heat at South Cheshire College.
Newcastle College T Level Software Development students Alex Buinickis and Michael Mutyaba took part in the Cyber Security regional heat, hosted at NSCG’s Newcastle campus.
Stafford College students Alfie Salt and Edward Keay competed in the Esports regional heat at the University of Staffordshire, while Newcastle College Health and Social Care students Louise Talbot Moon, India Eaton, Abigail Hughes and Alisha Qasam progressed to the national qualifier.
Accounting apprentices Henry Platt-Cooper and Alex Brown have progressed to the WorldSkills UK national finals in South Wales after successfully completing the Accounting Technician national qualifier.
Parisa Shirazi, Director of Standards at WorldSkills UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome NSCG into the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence. This partnership will help NSCG to embed world-class teaching practices and ensure all students and apprentices develop the future-ready skills that will help drive jobs and economic growth.”
Dr Rebecca Conway, Director of Research and Innovation at NCFE, added: “Through the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, we’re investing in educators to engage, inspire and develop a teaching workforce that aspires to go even further for their learners and advocates for the highest possible standards.
“We’re enabling educators to embrace new techniques and practices from across the globe, helping institutions act as catalysts for raising standards across technical education at a time when this has never been more important.”
