A Staffordshire college group has been recognised by WorldSkills UK as a member of its Centre of Excellence as students shine in national competitions.

Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) says the recognition reinforces its position as one of the country's leading further education colleges and its commitment to developing the high-level technical skills employers need.

The prestigious WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, delivered in partnership with specialist awarding organisation NCFE, supports colleges across the UK to embed world-class teaching practices, drive innovation and equip students and apprentices with the skills needed to thrive in the workplace.

As part of the programme, NSCG will benefit from world-class teacher training, collaboration with industry leaders and education professionals and access to specialist masterclasses, ensuring staff continue to deliver outstanding technical education that reflects the needs of modern industry.

The announcement comes as a number of NSCG students have been representing the College in this year's prestigious WorldSkills UK competitions, putting the skills they have developed in the classroom into practice against some of the UK's most talented students and apprentices.

Commenting on the announcement, 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."

Across a variety of technical disciplines, NSCG students have recently progressed to regional heats and national qualifiers, competing against the very best emerging talent from across the country.

Stafford College Hospitality student Molly Standring represented NSCG in the Restaurant Service Regional Heat at South Cheshire College, where competitors were challenged on customer service, presentation, teamwork and technical excellence in a realistic restaurant environment.

In Digital, first-year T Level Software Development students Alex Buinickis and Michael Mutyaba from Newcastle College competed in the Cyber Security Regional Heat, hosted at NSCG's Newcastle campus. The competition tested their technical knowledge, analytical thinking and ability to respond to complex cyber security scenarios.

The College also celebrated success in Esports, with Stafford College students Alfie Salt and Edward Keay competing in the Regional Heat at the University of Staffordshire. Demonstrating teamwork, communication, strategic thinking and digital expertise, the pair competed for the opportunity to progress to the WorldSkills UK Finals.

Newcastle College Health and Social Care students Louise Talbot Moon, India Eaton, Abigail Hughes and Alisha Qasam progressed to the National Qualifier, held at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.

The competition saw students demonstrate their practical skills, professionalism and person-centred approach while delivering high-quality care in realistic scenarios.

Meanwhile, Accounting Apprentices Henry Platt-Cooper and Alex Brown recently took part in the Accounting Technician National Qualifier and successfully progressed to the National Finals. Working as a team, they completed a series of online business case study tasks designed to test their analytical thinking, commercial awareness, problem-solving and technical accounting skills against competitors from across the UK.

In November, Henry and Alex will join 400 competitors from across the UK competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, in the National Final taking place across a range of venues in South Wales.

Progressing to these stages of the WorldSkills UK competitions is a significant achievement, recognising the dedication, commitment and professional skills demonstrated by each student throughout their studies.

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."

A spokesperson for NSCG added: "Everyone at NSCG is incredibly proud of every student who has represented the College in this year's WorldSkills UK competitions and wishes them the very best as they await the results of the latest rounds.

"Their achievements, alongside the College's recognition as a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, demonstrate NSCG's continued commitment to providing exceptional technical education and preparing students with the skills, confidence and ambition to succeed in their future careers."

For more news and information on NSCG, visit the website here.

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