Five students from South West College will compete to be named ‘Best in the UK’

South West College (SWC) is proud to announce that five of its outstanding students including Andrius Simkus, Luke Taylor, Emily Jane McElroy, David Bateman Smith, and Aaron Cassidy will represent SWC at this year’s prestigious WorldSkills UK National Finals, set to take place from 19–22 November across multiple venues in Greater Manchester.

Each of these students will showcase their exceptional talents across a range of skill areas in the upcoming finals. Dungannon Engineering higher level apprentices (HLA); Andrius, who is employed with Mallaghans GSE and Luke employed at Metfin will compete in the Automation category, bringing innovation and technical expertise to the stage. Joining them from the Dungannon campus, Level 3 Beauty student Emily will demonstrate her skills in the Beauty Therapy final. Representing the Enniskillen campus, Level 3 Plumbing apprentice David, employed with Ashley McFarland Plumbing will compete in the Plumbing category, while Omagh campus Level 3 Bricklaying apprentice Aaron from Tempo and employed with Christopher King will showcase his abilities in the Bricklaying final.

SWC students will join nearly 500 students and apprentices for the WorldSkills UK National Finals which take place over two days, with the results being announced at a glittering award ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on the evening of Friday 22 November.

The WorldSkills UK Competitions are seen as an integral part of the post-16 education and training calendar and attract over 6,000 registrations from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland annually. The competition-based training programmes are designed by industry experts and help young people grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills.

Christopher Robinson, Head of Work-Based Learning at SWC, congratulated the students who have successfully qualified for the national finals, noting that their achievement reflects not only their individual talents but also the dedication of their employers and the College’s commitment to excellence.Christopher said:

“SWC is immensely proud of Andrius, Luke, Emily, David, and Aaron, and we extend our best wishes to them and all the apprentices and students competing in this year’s national finals.

We are excited to see them showcase their outstanding skills across a wide range of disciplines in November and wish them every success as they aim to be named ‘Best in the UK’ in their respective fields. Their success is a testament to their hard work, talent, and the exceptional training and support they’ve received from both their employers and the College’s dedicated teams.”

Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:

“Huge congratulations to this year’s National Finalists. We wish them the best of luck in their training as they prepare for the WorldSkills UK Finals.

“We look forward to working with our host venues and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to welcome students and apprentices from all over the UK to showcase excellence in technical skills and drive forward the development of world-class skills for all young people.”

The WorldSkills UK National Finals will take place at the following venues: Bolton College, Manchester College, The University of Manchester, Oldham College, Rochdale Training, Tameside College, Trafford and Stockport College Group and Wigan & Leigh College.